Movie Review

Chicago

Let me set one thing straight here at the beginning of this review. The only movie genre I find less entertaining than science fiction is musicals.

I?m just not a fan of movie musicals, though I did like Moulin Rouge as well as All That Jazz. With that in mind, I want to let everyone know that Chicago is sensational moviemaking. I was never not entertained by Rob Marshall?s energetic, smart, dark, very funny adaptation of Bob Fosse?s 1975 play.

Most movie musicals (at least in my opinion) seem so contrived, so dramatically incoherent, and I think that much is lost in trying to adapt a musical to screen because what works on stage rarely seems to work as well on-screen. The opposite, of course, is not true as many movies have successfully been made into musicals (The Producers, Lion King are just two examples). Well, Chicago gets it smashingly right and I think it?s because the director did not feel compelled to make a strict adaptation of the musical. Marshall recognized that in many musicals, the dramatic narrative stops dead when the musical numbers begin and often the song and dance sequences seem to exist in an alternate universe, totally disconnected from the movie itself.
In Chicago, the majority of the musical numbers are actually fantasies and daydreams of the main character, Roxie Hart (Rene Zellweger). The song and dance numbers flow seamlessly into and out of the narrative as the film alternates between the "reality" of the story and the fantasy musical numbers. This turns out to be a simple yet brilliant way to make Chicago the movie stand on its own as cinematic entertainment, and not just as an adaptation to screen of a Broadway musical.

Roxie Hart wants to be a star in vaudeville in the 1920?s and while she is long on ambition, she?s short on talent. She inadvertently becomes famous when she kills her lover. In jail, she befriends the warden, Big Momma (Queen Latifah), and becomes rivals with Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a famous vaudeville star on trial for the murder of her husband and sister (they were having an affair). Roxie manages to get the legal services of "the most famous lawyer in Chicago," Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), at first hoping that he will manage to help her avoid being hanged for murder.

However, she soon realizes that her notoriety as a murderess and her up-coming trial are her best chance to become famous. Though set in the 1920?s and written nearly twenty-eight years ago, Chicago is remarkably prescient regarding the pursuit of fame and notoriety in American culture and therefore it does not feel dated at all. The dialogue is sharp and cynical giving it a satirical edge that most movie musicals lack.

The cast is absolutely perfect. Zeta-Jones was born to play Velma Kelly, a supremely confident and self-assured star fighting off a younger rival for the spotlight. She has an excellent voice and is a great dancer as is Zellweger. Both actresses are better than they have ever been and I cannot imagine any other actresses in the roles. Richard Gere is a surprisingly good singer and agile dancer as well, and has no problem with a role that requires him to be suave, insincere, and sexy. Queen Latifah has a show topping number as Big Momma and John C. Reilly (as Roxie?s dim-witted husband) demonstrates unexpected musical talent as well.

Okay, these are all great movie critic reasons to go see Chicago but why would mainstream moviegoers (the ones who liked 8 Mile and Spider-Man and could care less about seeing a Broadway musical) take a chance on this movie? Well, the movie is wildly sexy, undeniably fun, continuously entertaining, and the musical numbers are so exciting, so vibrant, so ebullient that you literally find yourself tapping your feet and wanting to dance in your seat. Chicago deserves all the accolades that has received and will receive. It is 100% pure entertainment and I can?t wait to see it again.

Todd's Grade: A-

A	38.5%
B	61.5%
C	0.0%
D	0.0%
F	0.0%