CAST AND CREDITS:

STARRING:
Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Richard Gere, Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs,
Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Lucy Liu

DIRECTED BY:
Rob Marshall

WRITTEN BY:
Bill Condon, Fred Ebb

PRODUCED BY:
Martin Richards, Marty Richards II,
Marty Richards, Harvey Weinstein

DISTRIBUTED BY:
Miramax Films/Alliance Atlantic

RATING USA...
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue,
violence and thematic elements.
RATING CANADA...
Rated ADULT ACCOMPANIMENT
for mature themes.


Musical
Anywhere else it would be a crime, but this is Chicago.
Bob Fosse's Chicago was a big stage smash when it appeared on stage for the first time in 1975. An adaption of a Maurine Watkins melodrama, the show starred Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera. It ran on Broadway for two years before embarking on an extended tour. When Fox released MOULIN ROUGE in 2001 it opened a door that had been all but shut over the years. The musical had pretty well disappeared but it's Academy Award nominations and wins helped to open the door for CHICAGO from Miramax. Based on the original Broadway musical by the late Bob Fosse, who won an Academy AwardŽ for his direction of CABARET and ALL THAT JAZZ, Miramax is hoping Chicago can be the second movie musical in as many years to achieve both critical and financial success. When I saw this one it was out in limited release so only time will tell if this musical succeeds but in my opinion it should. I've always been a fan of Bob Fosse so see this film on the big screen was a thrill. I was not disappointed in this film at all as I really enjoyed it. The musical dance numbers were wonderful as were all the actors in it. I would leave it at that but you would probably prefer if I said something about CHICAGO, so here goes.

"They can't resist a reformed sinner."


"Welcome ladies."
 Well here we have two ladies, at least we'll call them ladies but in actuallity they are two murderers. Yes siree, their loves done 'em wrong and they shot them dead. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Velma Kelly who is arrested for the murder of her husband and sister - after discovering their affair. She's a star on the musical stage, a seductive club singer of great beauty and talent. Now she needs a good lawyer. Then we have Renee Zellweger who stars as a fame hungry Roxie Hart. You see she has a dream of life on the Vaudville stage, and spends her nights visiting the night clubs and jazzing it up in the bright lights of Chicago. She hopes for a lucky break, that will shoot her into 1920's stardom. To do so she betrays her husband, Amos for the promise of auditions from a handsome but lowlife gentleman who promises her much but only after spending time in bed. His name is Fred and soon he will be dead, very dead. You see Roxy can not abide his lies so now, she needs a lawyer as well.

"The one and only Billy Flynn."
 And this is the lawyer. His name is Billy Flynn and is portrayed with panache and flair by the stately and I may say fine looking Richard Gere. You may have seen him in a movie or two I'm sure. now you see Billy Flynn is a fine lawyer, the best so say some. He has a good record of getting ladies off with murder as long as the said ladies have $5,000 to pay him. Ah, chivalry is not dead it just has a price attached to it. okay are you still with me. Good. Oh I forgot to mention these three all like to sing and dance when the mood or fantasy strikes them, which is often in this movie after all it is a musical. No, they aren't the only ones who like to sing and dance, so does everyone else in this little tale of murder and mirth. Well, Mr. Flynn is here to save the day and tap dance his way through a court room; after all he has to earn his $5,000. All he asks of his clients is to do what he tells them, something these ladies seem to have a hard time understanding. Oh, since we're talking about lawyers, here's one for you....
Why does the law society prohibit sex between lawyers and their clients?
To prevent clients from being billed twice for essentially the same service.



"You are a disloyal husband."
 Just thought it was time to see the husband, the live one that is. This is Amos the poor unappreciated husband of the star crossed Roxie. The poor schmuck works his butt off while his wife is off lurking in night clubs and fornicating with married men by the name Fred (Dominic West). Not only does he lie to her but then he even slaps Roxie around and to make things worse Fred tells her he's married. Now poor Roxie is okay with all this after all she just wants to get away from her husband and get work on stage. Oops! Now there's the snag. You see Fred tells her there is no audition for her, he lied to get her in bed. Well heck, that is just not right. Now Fred suddenly looks like Fearless Fosdick from the old Dick Tracy comic strip. If you don't catch the connection here, you will when you see the movie, and I will say no more about this. Oh yeah we forgot about poor Amos. Well when the cops arrive he takes the blame for shooting the burglar. That is correct, Roxie convinces him that Fred was a burglar and like a good husband is want to do, he takes the blame for shooting this culprit. Okay now wait for it. Here it comes. Are you ready? Are you sure? Amos, finds out that his was the guy who sold them their furniture and couldn't have been a burglar. Oh, oh some one is not happy about this and the nice policeman take Roxie off to Cook County Jail. Gee you think it was something she did? No don't feel bad about the husband because you see he turns out a good husband. He comes up with the money to pay Flynn his fee so that his not so loving wife will have the representation of the lawyer who has never lost a case for a woman. See we husbands can be so easily under appreciated. John C. Reilly is a man so invisible that in his only number that Amos sings he calls himself "Mr Cellophane", a funny but sad song.

"When you're good to momma....momma is good to you."
 Do not let the picture to your left fool you. That buxom lady is no lady, it's Queen Latifah. Now suspend a little disbelief here because that is the prison Warden Mrs Morton. Okay so she's black and the chances of her being a prison warden in the 1920's is a stretch. What! Can't you take a little revisionist history even for the sake of a good musical. Sure you can, do it for me, alright because I really have to get moving here. The Bodacious Mrs. Morton also known as Momma offers Roxie the opportunity of representation by slick Chicago lawyer Billy Flynn. If you don't know who he is that means you skipped ahead and missed the bit about him. If you skipped ahead go back up and read about him. I'll wait right here for you. Yup I'll wait right here.............ahh good you're back. It seems that this well endowed warden has musical aspirations herself as we find out while she fantasizes her musical number. Actually she wants to be more of an agent and collect her share of monies from these needy incarcerated females. Well once Roxie pays the good warden $100 the good Mr. Flynn pays a visit. Expect Queen Latifah to possible receive an Oscar © for her part even though I hear one of her song numbers was cut from the movie. Interestingly enough she comes across as a cross between Pearl Bailey and the grand old damme Mae West.

"How's it feel, Roxie. J. Edgar Hoover couldn't find your name in the papers."
 There you have it except for Christine Baranski as the reporter Mary Sunshine. She loves a juicy story and helps Billy Flynn make his cases to the public. I really like this fine film and stage actress and I was disappointed that she was not used more than she was. Then we have Taye Diggs who plays the bandleader. Not a standout part but it sure won't hurt his career being in CHICAGO.
Now we have the fly in the oinment. Fame can be a fleeting thing and the press and the people just love the new murderess of the month. You see just as Roxie Hart nudged the spotlight away from killer Velma so does Go-to-hell Kitty shove Roxie out of the limelight. Lucy Liu plays Go-to-hell Kitty who walked in on her husband during a little menage-a-trois with two nubile young fems. Damn, he done her wrong. Bang...bang...bang and three more are gone and Go-to-hell Kitty is the new headline. Yes fame is a fleeting thing for some and so it is for Roxie as well. A baby oh my, Roxie is pregnant, she's back.
"Is she pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Will you swear to it in court?"
"Yes."
"Good. Button your fly."

Billy Flynn always one for the limelight quickly jumps on this new wrinkle in the story and uses it in his courtroom routine and what a routine. Richard Gere lights up on the screen as Billy Flynn. He genuinely seems to enjoy himself in this movie. It wasn't until I checkd out some information on him that I realized that Gere actually can sing and dance as he performed in such plays as Grease. Catherine, Rene, Richard and even Reilly all performed their own songs and dances. I was surprised actually because they were all so good. They all sing and dance on beautiful lavish sets that send us between the real world and the fantasy stages performances. I just wanted to sing along with them but luckly I didn't or the audience would have chased me out with pitch forks and torches. Trust me I sing like Frankenstien's monster. The dance routines are true to the Fosse style and choreographer Dion Beebe should receive a nomination this year at the Academy Awards©.



"I object."
"Sustained."
"Your honour I haven't even asked the question yet."

When the film does get around to the court room scene, the fun begins. Flynn is a consummate showman and he relishes performing in the court as if it was a stage. He manipulates and charms the audience....oops the jury with his razzle dazzle. Yes there is going to be a song by that name and it is sparkly that you may want to wear sunglasses during this particular piece. When he almost gets bushwacked he tap dances around the evidence just as the director shows him tap dancing on stage. He cuts back and forth beautifully so that there is no doubt in our minds that Flynn is performing for the jury. It was so much fun watching this scene that I felt like getting up and dancing, yeah, like I can tap dance.



"It's all a circus, a three-ringed circus."
"Give them the old razzle dazzle."

The exposition scenes where we see the actual story taking place seem to be mostly there to lead the characters into the next musical scene. The director takes the current setting and transplants the characters onto a darkened stage lit by the colourful spotlights so that we can learn more of the plot and see some mesmerizing routines. The opening to the film presents "All That Jazz" with sparkling choreography and lots of moody energy that quickly put you in the mood. Most of the other numbers seem to stem mostly from the mind of Roxie Hart and many include excellent routines from Catherine Zeta-Jones as well. I personally enjoyed Gere's tap dance routine but the flashiest and most striking number was "We Both Reached for the Gun". This song and dance routine is meant to show us how Flynn manipulates the court. The entire sequence has the actors attached to puppet strings with Flynn as the ventriloquist to Roxie's dummy. Everyone is dancing to his drum as he works to have Roxie acquited of murder and of course to the hangman's noose. It is definitely a showstopper.



"The jury has reached a verdict."
"We the jury find the defendant...."

If when watching the film you find the characters shallow, then you are correct. The characters have really very little care or concern about others. Their only regard is for themselves. Flynn likes the women, cares about winning and most of all his $5,000. Roxie and Velma only care about the potiential fame that the murders will bring them. The movie is of course is centered on Roxie and her attempts to climb the ladder of fame on stage. She may be the heroine but she is certainly not really likeable or sympathetic but she is fascinating in a twisted way. Velma of course is just like Roxie as well, so when the two decide to team up for a comeback it is not really very surprising but it does lead to another fine number.



"Ladies and gentlemen Miss Roxie Hart says goodnight."

One thing that I noticed about Renee Zellweger is just how much she reminds me of Marilyn Monroe. In some of the numbers her blonde hair and slinky clothes remind me the blond bombshell. So if anyone in Hollywood decides to finally do a good biographical film on Munroe please do consider Renee, I believe she could easily handle the part. I can just see her now in a white dress standing over the breezy subway grating. Okay boys reel it in.



"She'll swing before the year is out."

CHICAGO is a moral play that is set in the 1920's but it actual satirizes the present. Celebrities today still receive headlines for petty as well as major crimes. Some become celebrities because of their crimes; Tonya Harding, Joe Buttifuco and John Wayne Bobbit come quickly to mind. We also seem to take great delight in tearing down stars who falter, O.J., Robert Blake and Winona Ryder to mention a few. Sometimes their careers become bigger and other times they are totally destroyed. Not many remember Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, right?



"He ran into my knife ten times."

So there you have it. Go see this film, go now don't wait until it wins some awards. If you want entertainment without explosions this is it. I recommend it wholeheartly as a great way to spend some of your entertainment dollars. Pass the popcorn and enjoy the film.
"You're a phony celebrity. You're a flash in the pan. In a couple of weeks no one will give a shit about you...and that's Chicago."

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