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Chicago (Full Screen Edition) Customer Reviews (76 - 78 of 120 Reviews)

Manipulating the System
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"!

Don't Search for Soul, Let Yourself Go!
The first musical to win the Best Picture Oscar after 34 years, this 2002 Rob Marshall's adaptation of a 1975 Broadway musical lacks the warmth and romance of the 2001 Baz Luhrmann's hit "Moulin Rouge", but certainly rivals its daring predecessor in glamour. It's sumptuous to look at and thoroughly glorious as far as film-making is concerned. However, an emphatic viewer has a hard time to identify with any of its characters. Yep, probably no woman would like to find herself in a situation Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones found themselves in here -- murderesses. Maybe later on, when Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Zellweger) are helped by a slick lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) and insatiable press to become celebrities of their own. Much like a fairy-tale for grownups, this film does not worry about morals or profound lessons on humanity. Rather, it offers a real show, based on the roaring 1920's with all its sex and prohibition. "Chicago"'s final effect on viewer is enhanced by great acting, singing and dancing performances from the leading three actors (Zeta-Jones won Oscar for her supporting role), sophisticated choreography and perfect editing, often making for an all-out exhilarating impact.

Chicago will Razzle-Dazzle you!
Everyone who hasn't seen this musical, you need too!! Aside from winning several Tony's during it's original run on Broadway with stage legends, Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera, it was and still is an immense success on Broadway right showing off the talents of some more stage greats - Bebe Newwirth, Ann Reinking, and Joel Gray (original Emcee in Cabaret). The movie version upholds to its Broadway prdecessors...It's an amazing story of two infamous women (Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, Zeta-Jones and Zellweger, respectively) fighting for media publicity and lawayer played wonderfully by Richard Gere (who does his own tap dancing and singing). With musical numbers written brilliantly by John Kander and Frank Ebb that will have your feet tapping in tempo and lyrics that stay in your head, who wouldn't love this musical?! Not too mention choreography inspired by Bob Fosse - you can NOT get any better than Kander&Ebb with Fosse!! "The Cell Block Tango" in itself is totally worth it, as is John C Reily's absolutely amazing "Mr. Cellophane"

For all those people out there who getting the wrong advice about Moulin Rouge being "sooooo much better" than Chicago, please do not listen. I am a huge musical fan, having performed in several musicals and attending 5 times more at local, regional and broadway theatre, I can safely say that Chicago is far superior to anything that Baz Lurhman may give you. This is not to say that Moulin Rouge was not a great musical - Ewan McGregor was absoultey phenomenal. Kidman, however, is in no comparison whatsoever to Zeta-Jones or Zelleweger (who may not have the greatest sing-songy or trained voice like zeta-jones, but for its character purposes, it is the PERFECT Roxie voice) At least, Zelleweger looked like she had the breathe support and technique to sing, and can belt out some impressive notes for a first time singer. Kidman, though pretty, is nothing special and thousands upon thousands of girls can sing just like here.
Not too mention the story is chicago is actually worth talking and thinking about, compared to the weak and cliched storyline of moulin rouge (you know what's going to happen in the end within the first 10 minutes of the movie - where is the fun in that?!)

So please, forget all the awful rumors and stupid advice about Moulin Rouge being the "superior musical" b/c they all obvisouly do not know what they are talking about! Chicago won Tonys AND all its Oscars for excellent reasons of which you can see for yourself if you get this DVD!!! So get it and you'll see what "all that jazz" is really about!!!

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