| CHICAGO |
| Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Colm Feore, Taye Diggs, Christine Baranski, Lucy Liu Directed by Rob Marshall ***� out of **** Chicago is a glorious, dark musical that is as much Moulin Rouge�s antithesis as The Thin Red Line is to Saving Private Ryan. Where Baz Luhrmann�s extravaganza celebrated love as the life force of all, Chicago is much more cynical. It is a commentary on the nature of fame, and manages more than a few stabs at law practice. But overall, the film exists to get your heart pumping and feet thumping. As the film opens with Catherine Zeta-Jones performing �All that Jazz�, I wasn�t all that impressed. The scene plays well but doesn�t bowl you over like Moulin Rouge does. Twenty minutes or so later, I was in Chicago. Despite (or maybe because of) the Oscar hype, I couldn�t help but wonder whether Chicago would deliver, and yes, it does. Velma (Zeta-Jones) is a nightclub act arrested for a double murder. She�s a confident, beautiful brunette riding the waves of publicity with flair. Roxie (Renee Zellweger) is a wannabe singer who lands herself a spot in prison on a murder charge. She�s blonde, ambitious and only out for herself. Both gals are looked over in jail by Momma (Queen Latifah), who can �get things done�. In comes Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), a slick as they come lawyer who purely does what he does for the money. He has no illusions of altruism; if it doesn�t jingle in his pocket, he doesn�t jingle in the courtroom. The film is set mainly in prison and the songs are consequently not about undying love, but of disillusionment, betrayal, murder and deception. The three leads are the film�s pillars. Zeta-Jones has an Oscar to show, Gere has a Golden Globe for his tapping and dancing skills. Zellweger, the actual star of this show, has been less recognized but this is the role she�ll be given an Academy Award for in the near future, regardless of the role she�s nominated for at the time. The work these three actors done ensures them appreciation for years to come. When many people won�t know squat about Nurse Betty, Red Corner or Entrapment, Chicago will always be fresh in the cinema of the mind. Supporting actors Latifah and John C. Reilly (as Roxie�s fool husband Amos) hold their own with song numbers of their own that�ll make you smile and weep. Everything in this film gells - kudos to the editor, who must have blisters on his eyeballs. I can rave on about the exquisite costume design, art direction and the genius of Bob Fosse (Cabaret). Bill Condon�s screenplay adaptation of what originated as a stage musical must be harrowing enough to give Charlie Kauffman nightmares, but the man pulls it off. What can be bad in a film this good? Well, there�s not a single winning moral character in sight. Also, the film falls apart in the end � I longed for something darker in tone as I sat through the final (excellent) dance number. Note that these are small qualms in a bigger picture. This is a film to experience repeatedly (even if only for Gere and Zellweger�s man-and-puppet duet). COPYRIGHT CW BROODRYK 2003 |
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