Chicago
Cast
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly
Ren�e Zellweger as Roxie Hart
Richard Gere as Billy Flynn
John C. Reilly as Amos Hart
Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine
Directed by
Rob Marshall
Rater #2 has description and review
Rater #1
5/10. I was watching this movie with a friend because he bought the movie, and I was excited to see it, but I actually didn't like it that much. The whole entire plot of the movie was singing on a stage when they were actually somewhere else. It just seemed to bother me. I think it would probably have been better on broadway, but hey i saw it on video.
Truthfully, I didn't really know any of the characters in this movie except maybe Queen Latifah, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Queen Latifah always seems to be doing something in a jail, like here, she was a warden. In Bringin Down the House, she escaped from jail. I didn't know who Catherine Zeta Jones was in the film. I just didn't recognize her.
Since I saw this a week ago, I can't remember much else. So, I guess see it if you liked it on Broadway, but otherwise it's up to you.
Rater #2
9/10. Based on the 1975 musical (and the 1990's revival), the 2002 version
of Chicago doesn't lack on razzle-dazzle and goes all out. Which
turns out to be a good thing.
The story, which takes place in the roaring 20's, stars Ren�e
Zellweger is Roxie Hart. She's trying to be the next big star, but
can't seem to make it, despite her boyfriend Fred Casely (Dominic
West) talking to lots of people. When it turns out that Fred actually
doesn't know anyone and was just using her for sex and leaves him,
she can't stand it and shoots him. Despite tries from her husband
Amos (John C. Reilly) to keep her out of jail, she still goes. There
she sees Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), once-big, but now in
jail for shooting her sister and her cheating husband. They then
compete for Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), a high-priced attorney who
has never lost a case. And, they compete for the front page.
Casting such large stars as the main roles was a risky move,
considering that they never did a famous musical (at least, not to my
knowledge). They did all of their own singing and dancing, which
looked real. No real special effects here. The music didn't seem to
interrupt anything and fit right in. I wasn't shocked that they took
a nice scene and made razzmatazz out of it. It flowed along nicely;
when it went too long without a musical scene I was left waiting for
one. That's pretty good directing (by Rob Marshall).
Alas, like all musicals, Chicago drags a bit in the second act, not
having the steady pace of the fun of the first one. It seemed to go
too leisurely and the tap-dancing scene, from Gere, seemed
unnecessary. I really liked how Marshall interspliced two or even
three scenes seamlessly with quick cuts. It added to the experience
of a dancing set of the twenties. The songs were bouncy, and I found
myself almost singing to all of the songs (since I own the
soundtrack). All of them are great. This is a movie whose soundtrack
you must buy.
Zellweger surprised me (with her astonishingly bubbly voice
sometimes), but the standout was Zeta-Jones. She, being a veteran of
Broadway, really wanted to do this project and seemed to have so much
fun doing this, probably what she likes to do best. I felt glad that
she was the best part of the movie musical revival. Gere (who I hated
in The Mothman Prophecies) did a nice role, though he was a lot
better singing and dancing than he was acting. Everyone's singing and
dancing surprised me. The dancing, by none other than Bob Fosse, was
vibrant and well choreographed. The costuming and themeing was
perfect and brought out the idea and the culture of the twenties. No
expense was uselessly wasted. Plus, as an added bonus, the fast paced
cinematography was enjoyable to watch, but may have too many "Blair
Witch Project side effects".
Queen Latifah played "Mama", a warden-type at the prison. She was
probably the second best performer in the show. Other people that
popped up include Christine Baranski as a radio announcer, Taye Diggs
as a band leader, and Lucy Liu (in a somewhat wasted role) as a new
prisoner. That leads me to my next point-although movies like this
don't use much time in developing a great plot, the secondary
characters leave something to be admired. During the slinky song
about six inmates and how they killed their husbands/boyfriends, only
two came back later. That was a great song, but we don't really care
about them (which we do to the main characters). There also was some
humor in it.
Chicago has humor, kinky dancing, great songs, and tremendous actors
playing tremendous characters that can appeal to people of every like.
Rater #3
7/10. Everyone loves a legend--but in Chicago, there's only room for one. Velma Kelly burns in the spotlight as a nightclub sensation. When she shoots her philandering husband, she lands on Chicago's famed murderess row, retains Chicago's slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn, and becomes the center of the town's most notorious murder case--only increasing her celebrity. Roxie Hart, seduced by the city's promise of style and adventure, dreams of singing and dancing her way to stardom. When Roxie's abusive lover tries to walk out on her, she too ends up in prison. The ambitious Billy recognizes another made-for-tabloids story, and postpones Velma's court date to take on Roxie's case. Infamy is Roxie's ticket to stardom. Billy turns her crime of passion into celebrity headlines, and in this town, where murder is a form of entertainment, she becomes a bona fide star--much to Velma's chagrin. As Roxie fashions herself out to be America's latest sweetheart, Velma has more than a few surprises in store for her. Tensions climax as the two women stop at nothing to outdo each other in their obsessive pursuit of fame and celebrity.
A classic broadway musical. I loved that aspect of it. The songs and dances kept you into the story. It was great how they went from real life to the song. They tied in perfectly. Although it was a great musical, it would stink as just a normal movie. But fortunately, its not! They characters to alot of changing during the movie, and at the end you just want to applaude, then dance and sing out of the theatre! And as I said before it has great soungs. The soundtrack, which im listening to right this minute, is great, but wont make any sense unless you have seen the movie. I would reccomend this movie to people who like musicals and dont mind having to pay attention to the plot.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #5
Has Not Seen Movie
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue, violence and thematic elements.
Running time: 113 minutes
Past Reviews for Chicago
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