Chicago (Full Screen Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Manipulating the System
Review: The 2002 Oscar winner for Best Picture,"Chicago" is a musical which has the late Bob Fosse's choreography stamped all over it, although it's really anybody's guess as to whether or not he would have been pleased with this film version of his 1975 stage hit. Happily, the acting was great and the leads did their own singing and dancing.
The story is based on the real-life cases of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, renamed respectively as Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly (There was a real Roxie Hart as well, who committed murder in Indiana in the 1910s), who were exhonerated of murder charges by a flashy lawyer in the 1920s.
The story begins on a snowy night at the Onyx Club in the Chicago of Al Capone, where the booze flows heavily despite Prohibition laws, and a brassy Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) arrives at work late, stopping to hide the gun she has just used to kill her husband and sister after catching them in bed together. She performs the rousing number, "All That Jazz" shortly thereafter as if nothing has happened.
Watching her is ex-chorine Roxie, played by a slender, shiny-complexioned and pixie-faced Renee Zellweger, whose unquenchable desire for fame has led her to cheat on her mechanic husband with a slickster furniture salesman (Dominic West)who falsely claims he has connections that can revamp Roxie's career.
Soon, Roxie and Fred Casley scurry over to the Hart's apartment to continue their affair. When Roxie asks Fred, as she has before, when he will introduce her to the club manager, and help her return to showbusiness, Fred admits that he lied. The following confrontation becomes violent and Roxie fatally shoots Fred as he tries to leave.
Amos Hart, Roxie's dim-witted but devoted husband(John C. Reilly) tries to cover for her at first as Taye Diggs' Bandleader/Announcer leads us further into the action by introducing Roxie's first number, "That Funny Honey", which changes tones as the investigator mentions the victim's name and Amos becomes aware of his wife's infidelity.
Roxie is arrested and taken to the Cook County Jail, where Chita Rivera, who originated the role of Velma Kelly on Broadway,has a cameo appearance as inmate Nickie.
We are then introduced to Matron Mama Morton(a pretty, regal, and matronly Queen Latifah), and the vaudville numbers continue as she sings the racy and more-than-highly suggestive "When You're Good to Mama".
As she begins her time in prison, we get to know Roxie's inmates during "The Cell Block Tango". Judging from the visuals, where most of the inmates' handkerchiefs came out red as they finished giving details of their crimes and the Hungarian immigrant's was white, we are to believe that Katalin Helinszki (Ekaterina Chtchelkanova), who was accused of the most heinous of the murders, is innocent.
Soon after, Mama Morton pulls a few strings, Defense Attorney Billy Flynn (Richard Gere, whose early training in stage musicals, like that of Catherine Zeta-Jones' serves him well here) arrives to represent Roxie, who also has push-over journalist/sob-sister, Mary Sunshine(Christine Baranski)in her corner.
The song "We Both Reached for the Gun" is based on headlines from the actual case, and has the feel of a hymn sung at a revival meeting. It is reflective of Roxie's false repentance for her misdeeds.
As the publicity surrounding Roxie grows, and the opportunistic Flynn begins to devote more time to her than to his previous client, Velma, another potentially lucrative case appears for Billy when Lucy Liu's pineapple heiress, Kitty Baxter committs a triple homicide(Note that his discussion of this case with dinner guests would not have taken place today), forcing Roxie and Velma to use a few tricks to win back Billy's attention, including a fake pregnancy.
Onstage, as the murder-as-entertainment scenario continues, we are treated to the long-suffering but loyal Amos' "Mr. Cellophane", and his devotion to his unfaithful and ungrateful wife is heart-rending. But at least he gets more attention than the offscreen family of Fred Casley, who might have given the story an interesting perspective if included.
Roxie's falling-out with Billy over his selected courtroom attire for her ends abruptly upon her observation of the tragic results of a poor woman's inability to get proper representation. Noteworthy is the strong anti-immigrant sentiment of the time.
Ultimately, Flynn, Velma, and Roxie, razzle-dazzle 'em in court. Lies win out over truth, and style, in the form of Flynn, Velma and Roxie, wins over substance in the form of Colm Feore's prosecutor, Martin Harrison, Katalin Helinszki, and Amos, and the Hart's neighbor, Mrs. Borusewiz (Jayne Eastwood), who also took the witness stand, as often happens in life.
Although acquitted, things didn't end so happily for the real Beulah Annan, whose life ended in a sanitarium in 1928.Belva Gaertner lived to see her story told onstage the year before.
But the man-manipulating Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly live to dazzle the world again, and our rollicking tale of cynical truth ends on a positive note for our main players.
All one could do in the end is heave a sigh, enjoy the show, and "All That Jazz"!

Rating:
Summary: "Hey, what do you mean hanging?"
Review: I have never been a big fan of musicals, and there is only a couple that I consider great movies, like "All That Jazz" and "Cabaret". I have to say that even though "Chicago" is not at the exact same level as these two movies, it is good enough to leave a lasting impression. The music is very good and entertaining, the performances of Catherine Zetta-Jones and Renee Zellweger are inspiring, and the story is interesting.

The film starts by jumping right into the action, with amazing music - what a great song is "All that Jazz" - and with Velma Kelly (Zetta-Jones) walking into her dressing room, hiding a gun and washing the blood from her hands. That same night, Roxie Hart (Zellweger) is among the audience watching Velma and dreaming of being like her. She even witnesses when the police comes to take Velma away for the murder of her cheating husband and her sister, who was the object of his affection.

Meanwhile, Roxie is acting on her dreams, and to get there she is sleeping with a man she believes has connections in the show business world and can help her become a star. When she finds out that he was lying, and his "connections" were just a scam to get into her pants, she kills him by shooting him point blank. The husband tries to save her, but is not successful in his attempt, and does not try hard after he figures out what was going on between the deceased and his wife; thus, Roxie ends up in the same prison as Velma.

Enters Billy Flynn (Gere), the slick lawyer that has a reputation for being able to get anyone off the hook, no matter how gruesome the crime or how abundant the evidence. He is Roxie's last chance, so she has to engage in a competition with Velma to see which case he handles first. The corrupt environment also includes Mama (Queen Latifah), the prison guard who really believes in tit for tat and is always on the prowl for fresh meat.

I was surprised when I learned that both Zellweger and Zetta-Jones actually sing themselves in all the music pieces, since the quality of their singing is superb and it appears to be done by professional singers. Both of them do an outstanding job in their acting, and are supported in their roles by the quality performances of Richard Gere and Queen Latifah. Congratulations to Rob Marshall and his team for a remarkable final product.

Rating:
Summary: Entertainment with an edge
Review: This is a musical in the tradition of musicals that are entertaining and easy to digest, and yet some hours later leave one with some apprehension. Is it really the intent of the story to celebrate getting away with murder? Or is this movie a statement about how murder by women in emotionally trying circumstances can be justified? Or perhaps is this an indictment of the criminal justice system? Or is this just a spicy entertainment?

I'll opt for the latter; however I can tell you that women will find this more agreeable than their spouses. There is a kind of historically revisionist feeling to the sentiments expressed. I seriously doubt that this production, in which murder from jealousy is seemingly justified, would have been produced as a musical comedy before the modern era.

But never mind. What makes Bob Fosse's Chicago a hit (and the Academy's Best Picture of 2002) are the beautifully staged and choreographed song and dance numbers, the spiffy direction and neat editing, a lot of leggy flesh along with some fine performances by Queen Latifah, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger.

In particular I liked Queen Latifah's performance. When she comes on singing "When You're Good to Momma" she just about brings the house down. I also liked her portrayal of the savvy and corrupt Boss Lady on Murderess Row. Zeta-Jones got the Oscar for best Supporting Actress, and she was good, but I think Latifah, who was also nominated, was just as impressive if not more so.

Zellweger, looking almost anorectic compared to the last time I saw her in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)--released only the year before--gives a solid performance in a very demanding role, although to be honest, it appeared that she was doing a lot of lipsyncing. Still one is amazed at how good she and Zeta-Jones were at the old song and dance, not having been previous known for being twinkle-toed.

You might want to see this to compare how it stands up to a long line of filmland musicals, such as Oklahoma, South Pacific, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, etc. Chicago certainly is well within the confines of that venerable traditional, although it is my feeling, that despite the Academy's favor, this is just a notch below the best.

Rating:
Summary: Chicago....
Review: Chicago is a good movie. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. A good surprise. I am not a fan of Catherine Zetta-Jones, but I will admit she is okay in this movie. I however think Zellweger steals the show along with Gere and Latifah.

The plot of the movie is that two ladies are on murderess row and Gere is trying to make them stars from there. Yet, there is only one room for a legend. In the end there will be a star, who will it be? It is a great remake of a musical and I enjoyed the music. I think the music shinned right along with the movie!


Rating:
Summary: Best Picture? Not a chance...
Review: This picture is obnoxious and unbearable to watch on the screen. Show tunes do not translate well to the screen if you're dealing with subpar actors who are not veteran Theater performers. Watching "Singin' In The Rain" or any old musical where people are actually singing and dancing with such talent and prestige, no cut-away shots to mask the fact that there is no way in heck the leads could do what they're trying to manipulate, is what I miss. Gere and Zeta-Jones and Zelleweger couldn't sing or dance to save their lives, but thanks to modern technology we can edit a movie so much to make this bombastic mess, which helps them appear to know how to perform in a play-sorry, no thanks. The fact that this picture somehow stole the Best Picture from Lord of the Rings (a true masterpiece) is beyond me and makes the Oscars a joke in my opinion. I couldn't stand this hyper-anxious-cynical take on our world and I don't know why others can. Remember, that's just my two cents.

Rating:
Summary: Glorious, beautiful, amazing...
Review: ...And that's just Catherine! As for the rest of the movie, it's simply scrumptious. The dance numbers, especially "All That Jazz" and "Cell Block Tango" are incredible. Costumes are lush and gorgeous. Numbers are staged dazzlingly. The acting is top-notch. In today's age, the lesson rings true. If anything, this movie can and probably will usher in a new age of movie musical, started with Moulin Rouge (which, by the way, is not superior to this movie if only due to the comparison of the crackling dialogue of Chicago and the trite, sappy dialogue of Moulin Rouge). If you haven't seen this movie, where have you been? WATCH IT! If only to see the perfection that is Catherine.

Rating:
Summary: It's different--but you'll like it
Review: The story (the development of which admittedly has to make deep concessions to musical numbers) explores the interwoven lives of two women, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart (Zeta-Jones and Zellweger), both of whom wind up in prison for having murdered their cheating lovers. The sexy and almost slutty Velma, in her former life, was a Chicago night-club sensation, and Roxie, more than a little naive, adores her. The head of the women's prison, Mama (Queen Latifah), is on the side of the inmates, and arranges for them to meet Billy Flynn (Gere), whose specialty is crimes of passion and who has never lost a case. As Roxie rises in the the press via Flynn's tactics, a power struggle ensues between Roxie and Velma, each manoeuvring for the public spotlight and for Flynn's attention. The outcome of their repspective cases and careers is the film's conclusion.

The most enjoyable part of the film, and the most original, is the series of creative transitions between the story-scenes which advance the plot on the one hand, and the imaginings of Roxie Hart that transfigure more ordinary situations into elaborate, jazz-club musical numbers on the other. This co-mingling of the mundane and the magnificient, which comes to seem so natural by the end of the film, is what makes "Chicago" stand out, and what allowed a musical to succeed in the modern cinema and even to garner six Oscars. Moreover, the song-spectacles often provide a caricature of an event that gets to the heart of the matter better than the actual scenes themselves. The film gets your foot tapping, your heart laughing, and (for more sprightly types) even makes you want to dance. Gere looks good on stage; Zeta-Jones looks even better; and Zellweger is convincing in her role.

I recommend this film.

On a last note: prudes beware--there are more bras and bare thighs in this movie than in a Vegas show, and innuendo is literally ubiqutious. There are a few scenes of violence as well. But if minimally clad women and a shooting won't upset your evening, sit back and enjoy a unique and thoroughly entertaining film.

Rating:
Summary: Whiskey and Coke
Review: I want to see the Liza Minelli version though. I didn't think Chicago was that bad. The media did "whore" itself for this movie though. The songs and dance numbers were the best part.

I liked Moulin Rouge more.

Rating:
Summary: Would have preferred more special features...
Review: ... but the movie itself is wonderful. An adaption of a the Broadway musical, director Rob Marshall blends together the straightforward adaptions of old, with the surreal, in-your-face production of Moulin Rouge! The result is amazing. The "dream sequence" technique allows the narrative to take place in real life yet still allow for exciting music numbers.

The performances are similarly wonderful. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellwegger, Queen Latifah, and even Richard Gere all sing and dance wonderfully. It's great to see actors who don't normally sing and dance be pushed to the edge of their talents. While there could have been a few improvements, it was overall a great production. Add that with Bill Fosse's old wonderful coreography and some excellent and creative set design, and Chicago makes a great movie.

But a not so great DVD. While Marshall and writer Bill Condon have a great commentary, and the deleted song Class is interesting, I wish there could have been more. Moulin Rouge got a great DVD treatment - I'm upset this didn't either. Still, Chicago is a wonderful movie that every musical lover should own.

Rating:
Summary: Raunchy, Cynical, Irresistible Musical!
Review: Some movies have all the luck and time their arrivals perfectly. Fortunately for movie-lovers, two recent musicals have hit the jackpot. 2001's "Moulin Rouge" was a hit (more so on DVD than in the theater) because Americans were hungering for musicals and didn't even know it. 2002's "Chicago" good timing may not have been as much of a surprise, but its combination of great music, good dance numbers, racy songs, and ultimately its cynical take on America's infatuation with fame are just plain irresistible.

An interpretation of Bob Fosse's 1975 theater production (Fosse was from Chicago and was in love with the seedy underworld that dominated the city's headlines), "Chicago" revolves around Roxie Hart's impassioned murder of her lover - a word to the wise, if you've seduced an ambitious starlet with tall tales of your ability to get her into a big show, you should break the bad news to her in a letter, not in her bedroom after a tryst. Tempers run hot with theatrical types, you know.

Renee Zellweger plays the naïve Mrs. Hart, and her performance is a lot of fun for fans of her other work. Zellweger usually plays characters who are smarter than everyone around them assumes. In "Chicago," Zellweger allows her ambition to trump her I.Q., and it's not much of a contest - but it's a blast to watch this talented actress dial up the clueless factor.

Zellweger's dancing and singing are also a pleasant surprise - after "Moulin Rouge," we're getting used to being surprised at how good some actors can be with the hoofing and the singing.

Hart is married to a loveable shlub of a mechanic, Amos, played by John C. Reilly, who is even more naïve than his wife. He refuses to take the fall for Roxie after realizing that the deceased was their furniture salesman, and he gave them a 10% discount out of the blue. But Amos, "Mr. Cellophane," allows himself to be led by the nose for most of the movie, and Reilly's performance is pitch-perfect. And what pipes!

Locked away on Death Row (Roxie asks of these special accommodations in the prison, "Is it nicer?"), Roxie first turns to prison warden Big Mama (Queen Latifah). In a musical number for the ages, "When You're Good to Mama," Latifah almost steals the entire show. This song is a masterpiece of double-entendre and attitude, and Latifah nails it perfectly.

Mama turns Roxie on to "the best criminal lawyer in Illinois," Billy Flynn (played by Richard Gere), a fast-talking flim-flam artist with a law degree who will represent Roxie for the princely sum of $5,000. Despite his professed modesty, Flynn believes that he could have changed world history if Jesus had only had $5,000 and lived in Chicago rather than Galilee.

Gere has the attitude, the looks, and the charm to play Flynn, although it must be said that his singing and dancing numbers don't quite seem up to par - but in a way this works because it reminds us that Gere is first and foremost and actor, not a Broadway hoofer, and it is refreshing to see Gere taking such a bold stab at such a challenging role. By virtually ignoring the law and playing to the crowd with the "old razzle-dazzle," Flynn attempts to get Roxie off.

Unfortunately for Roxie, her murder trial bumps another murder trial off the front page - the murder of Veronica Kelly by her sister, Velma (played with cynical gusto by Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose stage background is readily apparent). Can anyone play a rhymes-with-witch like this lady? Kelly learns the hard way about the pain of falling from the top of the pedestal, and just how big the gap is between headlining and page sixteen. But she is not one to sit back, and her scheming also offers a threat to young Roxie's chances for getting off.

A pell-mell musical with style and wit to spare, "Chicago" does not offer many surprises as far as plot or character development go - everyone stays basically true to their nature - but the pleasures of watching this amazing cast perform this raunchy musical are exquisite.