Film: Chicago
December 2002
Reviewed by John Kenrick

When all those feet started moving in perfect unison, I knew I was watching a kick-ass hit. And they were not on screen – they were out in the audience.

Chicago is easily the best live action musical film in decades, an electrifying treat that has people lined up around the block. Being an intrepid New Yorker, I managed to cop an aisle seat at a sold-out afternoon screening. As the stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones got things going with "All That Jazz," I found myself distracted from the sizzling action on screen by an astounding spectacle – all down the aisle, literally hundreds of feet were tapping in perfect unison. Talk about the power of musical comedy! When the film ended, I heard that same crowd roar its head off. What a genuine thrill to hear people cheer for a new and dazzling movie musical! Anyone who thought Moulin Rouge was a great musical should catch Chicago and see what truly great (and coherent) film making looks like.

It only took a quarter century for Chicago to make it to the big screen. By the time it debuted on Broadway in 1975, movie musicals were already a dying breed. Since then, they have become practically extinct. But spurred on by long running revivals of the show in both New York and London, Hollywood finally decided to adapt this highly theatrical show into a film. The key figure in all this was producer Marty Richards, who had the good sense to put talented screen stars in the hands of a creative team with solid Broadway credentials and no shortage of fresh inspiration. (Hey, Mr. Richards, if you're looking for any more great musicals to film, I'll be happy to point you toward a dozen or so!)

The plot follows the misadventures of two murderous women in 1920's Chicago. As cheating wife Roxie Hart and betrayed vaudeville dancer Velma Kelly sit in jail contemplating their futures in show business, their attorney Billy Flynn fans the flames of publicity that can lead each girl to fame, fortune and acquittal. The action bounces freely between courtrooms and vaudeville auditoriums, with the musical numbers taking place either on real stages or in Roxie Hart's mind. Screenwriter Bill Condon has kept the basic form of Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's original libretto, adding some nifty touches of his own. The glorious John Kander-Fred Ebb score is mostly intact, with only four numbers missing. What remains is refreshingly well sung, and in many cases presented with all the razzle dazzle anyone could ask for.

Director-choreographer Rob Marshall's first feature film seamlessly blends theatrical know-how with a socko cinematic approach. His dances have enlivened many recent Broadway seasons, so its great to report that his work is equally effective on screen. Each number is a bravura showpiece, and the dramatic focus of the film is always deliciously clear and on target. He occasionally invokes echoes of the Broadway stagings – a costume here, a gesture there – but scene by scene, Marshall brilliantly succeeds in making Chicago all his own.

As Velma, Catherine Zeta-Jones is a total knockout, dripping with sex appeal and giving an Academy-Award caliber performance. Rene Zellweger is equally effective a Roxie, giving a surprisingly powerful look into this Jazz baby's tortured yet conscience-free soul. When these two ladies team up for the "Nowadays" finale, the result is musical film magic. Some giggled uncomfortably when Richard Gere's Billy Flynn burst first burst into song, but his capable singing and sure manner quickly made it clear that he was a superb choice for the role. His renditions of "We Both Reached For The Gun" and "Razzle Dazzle" won applause at the screening I attended – and his courtroom tap routine is a bona fide showstopper.

John C. Reilly deftly handles the tricky anonymity of Roxie's nerdy husband Amos, and Queen Latifah scores a genuine triumph as jail matron Mamma Morton. It's a pity that "Class" is one of the few numbers cut from the score – it would have been a hoot to see what Latifah and Zeta-Jones could have done with it. Christine Baranski is perfect as reporter Mary Sunshine, original Chicago star Chita Rivera has a fun cameo early in the proceedings, and Tony-winning dancer Scott Wise is the doomed Mormon in "The Cell Block Tango."

So if anybody's little habits are getting ya' down, or if you don't like the life you're living and can't quite live the life you like (and all that jazz), get yourself a heaping helping of Chicago, the kind of extraordinary film musical that most buffs thought they would never see again.

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