3.5/4  Review - Chicago (2002)
All her life Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) wanted to be a showgirl. She idolized singers like Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and wished to one day be just like her. Of course, in 1920’s Chicago, it’s not easy being a showgirl, and Roxie... (read full)

3.5/4  Simply Incredible!
CHICAGO tells the story of Roxie Hart, a vague young thing married to a colorless man, Amos Hart (John C. Reilly), but carrying on with a low-life Fred Caseley (Dominic West) who's made more promises than he can keep. She shoots him dead, ... (read full)

4/4  Chicago Quick Review
I love Rob Marshall's epic musical drama about the lives of media and murder. I love this movie!

3.5/4  Chicago Quick Review
My favorite scene was, of course, the puppet scene. Totally awesome!

3/4  Chicago Quick Review
One of the few modern musical I consider worth watching. The songs fit well, the casting and acting are spot on and there's even a decent plot to follow. Gets a little slow at times, but overall I liked it.

2.5/4  Chicago Quick Review
I am not sure how I feel about this movie. The signing and production is great, the acting is on par, but the lack of originality and the tiredness of the film confuse me. I think the Academy made up for "Moulin Rouge!" the previous year.

3/5 Seems to be a poor deviation of ...
  by Elaine Morris (Wylie, TX)
This was a poor take-off or imitation of ALL THAT JAZZ. The actors and actresses were great but it did not meet the standards and brilliance of ALL THAT JAZZ.

5/5 Chicago is a classic already
  by Beverly Rosoff
It is already a classic. It moves quickly, you are sorry that the movie is over. The music, performances and color are wonderful. I am pleased that I added this to my collection.

5/5 Delicious
  by Roy T. Robinson
Fantastic musical. Fantastic film. Well done interpretation of the musical on screen. Makes sense as you watch it. Renee Z. as a seemingly naive housewife with big dreams, Catherine Z. as a lusty performer, and Queen Latifah as a warden are a triangle of how sometimes all things woman can go so terribly wrong. But feminists fear not, the men have their own foibles. Richard G's snakecharming money hungry lawyer can make you love and hate the system all at the same time. John R's henpecked husband leads us to say "no wonder" for Renee's fantasy life. Everyone's dirty in Chicago.

5/5 CHICAGO DVD
  by ramon perez
ITEM JUST AS DESCRIBED ! FAST AND FRIENDLY ! A REAL PLEASURE DOIN BUSINESS WITH ... THANK YOU !

4/5 This film is definitely `all that jazz'...
  by Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
You can credit `Chicago' with bringing the beloved musical back into our lives, even if it doesn't really deserve the full credit. Just the year before the marvelous (and superior) `Moulin Rouge!' managed an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and surely paved the way for `Chicago' to win the Oscar. The year before that `art house' master Lars von Trier gave us the brilliant `Dancer in the Dark', and while it didn't manage a Best Picture nomination, it caused a major stir with the critics and definitely got a lot of people talking. So, what I guess I'm trying to say is that, while `Chicago' is regarded as the musical of this generation, it didn't capture that title on its own merits.

It is a great film, truly absorbing and thoroughly entertaining; but it is far from the best musical of this generation.

Taking a saucy stage play and giving it its due on the big screen is a big undertaking. I have seen the stage play a few times and devour it every time; it's that stunningly entertaining. For me, and this should really go for nearly everyone, a musical lives and dies with the VOICES carrying the songs. If someone cannot sing, they should NOT be in a musical.

I wanted to get that out of the way.

The film tells the story of Roxie Hart, the aspiring singer who gets a little carried away during a lovers spat and takes a man's life. Claiming self defense, Roxie gets help from attorney Billy Flynn, who capitalizes off her story to get publicity. Roxie's doting husband Amos waits in the shadows as his wife's popularity grows, but when Roxie finds herself being `forgotten' by the public she has to go to even greater extremes to keep their attention.

I really liked the way that director Gary Marshall constructed the film. It has this out of body quality to the musical numbers, which makes sense in the setting. It gives it a very `showy' feel that gives the illusion of watching a cabaret variety show. This approach is needed to give the film some style; style that suits the premise and atmosphere.

The film is very `razzle dazzle'.

As far as the performances are concerned, there is a lot of love here. Thank GOD Catherine Zeta-Jones won the Oscar for her dynamic portrayal of the washed up Velma Kelly. She ravishes on screen and just completely engulfs every scene she is in. Her `song and dance' pleading with Roxie is sensational to put it lightly. She clearly outshines the rest of the cast, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the cast falters. A lot has been said about Renee Zellweger and her lack of singing talent. Like I said, a musical must be judged on the VOICES carrying the songs, but in this case, it is that lack of talent that works in her favor. She is an aspiring singer, and one gets the impression that she is aspiring because she lacks the talent to really survive. She is arrogant and pretty confident, but the fact remains that she hasn't made it. She needs this trial to become a star, and that speaks volumes for her natural talent. I adore Zellweger here.

As far as voices go, one doesn't get much better than Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly. They are the best vocals in the bunch, yet sadly they give the most mediocre performances. I love Reilly, and in 2002 he had a stellar year (appearing in THREE Best Picture nominees; `Chicago', `Gangs of New York' and `The Hours', as well as the independent film `The Good Girl'). His Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars was clearly a nod to his success as an actor, but he was nominated for the wrong film. His subdued and emotional work in `The Good Girl' should have nabbed him the nomination. Latifah has a showier role, and her `vavavavoom' performances really add some color to the film; but she's sadly lacking in screen time.

Reading that they once considered Kevin Spacey for the role of Flynn makes me a little sad, since he is not only a stunning actor but a brilliant singer and he would have chewed this up (and may have even walked away with an Oscar) but the lackluster Richard Gere took on the role and just does NOTHING for me here. His voice is very mediocre, his performances are awkward and while I actually found his quick witted delivery in his spoken scenes to be entertaining he just never really comes together as a complete character to me.

I was put off.

The film can at times be all over the place, but it makes up for it with ample amounts of style that get poured all over every scene like syrup. It works. Yes, it is overrated, but that doesn't mean it doesn't prove itself a visual feast and a memorable experience. When you look at the year that was 2002 you instantly think of `Chicago', and rightfully so. Sure, `The Pianist' was a much better film, but `Chicago', without a doubt, is the one you are going to want to watch again and again and again.

And BTW, those set pieces and costumes are all sorts of spectacular!