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Chicago Many people have seen the Broadway musical, but you never know how that will play on the big screen. Luckily, Chicago the movie, directed by the same man who directed the recent successful theatrical revival, is fabulous from the first opening shot to a climactic courtroom scene. In short, Chicago is one of the best movies of the year and one that lovers of the play will enjoy, as well as those who never had the pleasure of seeing it on the stage. Renee Zellweger stars as Roxie - a wannabe performer in a jam. She has been fooling around on her husband, Amos (John C. Reilly), with a man who promises to help make her star, but when the reality sets in, and Roxie discovers that she is being used, all heck breaks lose. She shoots the guy dead and might be sentenced to the death penalty. Normally, a case like this would be open and shut, especially one where the accused has confessed, but this is Chicago in the roaring 1920's, which means anything goes. Roxie is thrown in jail where she meets Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) - a real star performer who also committed a crime of passion. Roxie starts learning the ropes and how to use the system, then gets the best lawyer money can buy, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). He doesn't care if his clients are guilty or innocent, he just does what it takes to get the job done. When Roxie and Billy hatch a plan to get her declared innocent, will it work? Will Velma and Roxie achieve the success they are seeking from their infamy? Chicago is a mélange of music, action and fantasy that captures your attention and refuses to let go. It's a thrilling film that features some of the biggest stars of the day putting in the best performances of their careers. Catherine Zeta Jones is great as the ballsy singer with a nose for publicity. She makes the character sexy and dangerous, while also performing brilliantly in the song and dance numbers. I never thought she could sing, but Jones sounds like a Broadway star. I think it's the best female performance of the year in a movie, and I hope you get to see it. Jones's co-stars also put in career-defining performances. Zellweger would seem to be the weakest link in this trio, but she prevails by bringing a wonderful mix of naiveté and cunning to the character. More than any of the others, Roxie is the character who changes, grows and becomes a new person during the course of the film, so Zellweger must start Chicago as a lost soul, but grow into a believable rival for Velma. It's a tall task for Zellweger, but she does it well. I was also surprised with Richard Gere. While his performance and character don't start off the film on equal footing with the ladies, Gere finally gets his chance to steal the show with a courtroom scene that is just as thrilling and marvelous as Al Pacino's "this whole courtroom is out of order" performance in And Justice For All. Gere is required to summon up all the bravado, tap dancing skills and screen presence that he has ever had in his body and put it all on display in a make-or-break moment that is the climax of the film. It's a virtuoso performance that ends the film on a high note. Ultimately, Chicago is one of the year's best films due to director Rob Marshall and his skillful ability to mix the music and the action. In Chicago, the song and dance numbers are portrayed as wild imaginary fantasies played out in Roxie's brain, but Marshall is smart enough to use the music to advance the story, while also mixing the action and dialogue into the sequences, so we can understand what is really happening and how it impacts the story. You never feel lost, and every song advances the plot without a waste of time.
Many people are comparing Chicago to
Moulin
Rouge, but I think it's much better than that Kidman film.
Chicago doesn't waste a minute, doesn't
miss a beat, and is one of the best movies of the year.
Copyright 2002 - WaffleMovies.com
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