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Chicago
Directed By: Rob
Marshall Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
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| In
this long-awaited film version of the Broadway hit, Chicago chorus
girl Roxie Hart (Zellweger) lands in jail after shooting her lover.
There she meets Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), another chorus girl and
murderess. Soon, they're competing for the legal services of slick
lawyer, Billy Flynn (Gere), and for attention from the media.[TRAILER] The success of last year’s kinetic musical “Moulin Rouge,” both in box office receipts and awards nominations, has led to the revival of the Hollywood musical. If “Chicago” is any indication of what is to come, we are in for quite a treat. It is a delightful production in traditional Broadway form. Unlike “Rouge,” which polarized audiences by breaking all the rules, “Chicago” basks in its traditional stage approach. There is murder, sex, betrayal, seduction, and, of course, amazing dance numbers. And it is delivered with such style that I found myself more than once wanting to applaud at the end of an extravagant dance number. Every accolade that “Chicago” receives must first be attributed to its director and choreographer. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Rob Marshall has never helmed a film before, making a most impressive debut with this astonishing success. Everything that happens on screen, from camera angles to editing to dance steps, stem from his creative genius. Movie musicals tend to work within one of two traditional frameworks. There are those that incorporate the music literally into the story, as characters spontaneously burst into song, and there are those that remove the musical from the literal story. These, led by “Moulin Rouge,” incorporate the music as surreal, exaggerated pauses in the story. “Chicago,” against all rational explanation, does both. Its literal story concerns Roxie (Renee Zellweger), Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and their eccentric lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). Roxie has killed a lover, Velma her lover and sister, and both are attempting to use the infamy of their crimes to launch their jazz singing careers. Velma is the arrested superstar, and Roxie is the aspiring beauty. Billy is the best lawyer in the business because he knows how to manipulate the press. He believes that with the right publicity and exposure, the truth no longer matters. He is greedy and ruthless, and both girls work hard to stay at the forefront of his mind. He is the key to their public image and, in “Chicago,” image always beats reality. But the film’s dance numbers exist on an open stage, set far apart from the world of Roxie’s and Velma’s problems. They are often attributed to Roxie’s imagination, or as an insight into what’s really occurring beneath the film’s literal actions. By doing this, Marshall eliminates any inhibitions. When other musicals show a realistic character bursting into song, that character must remain true to the physics of the real world. But in “Chicago,” as Roxie hears footsteps, a dripping faucet, constructs a beat in her mind and imagines a sensational dance number, there exist no boundaries as to what that number can become. Marshall successfully uses these dance numbers to advance the story. Take, for example, the introduction of Billy to the story. We first see him in this fantasy world, singing the song “All I Care About,” pretending to be a sweet, good-natured man concerned only with love. But in the real world, as he meets Roxie’s estranged husband, Amos (John C. Reilly), he cares only about money. In fooling us about his sweetness, his conniving nature is made that much clearer. Or, take a press conference in which Billy explains Roxie’s defense to a gathering crowd of reporters. Marshall cuts to a dance number showing Billy as a ventriloquist and Roxie as his dummy, saying only what he instructs her to say. Behind them are the reporters, all attached to strings also pulled by Billy. He is the ringleader, the manipulator, and the song helps us understand just how ruthless he truly is. It is in these moments where “Chicago” finds the perfect balance between story and song. Each scene advances the characters and the plot, setting up the next spectacular musical sequence. Similarly, each song adds to the chemistry between the characters and fuels the energy and the exuberance needed for this story to maintain its grip on the viewer. The richly textured musical stage and the drab, dreary city serve as perfect thematic compliments for one another. The acting is, simply put, flawless. Gere, as the shrewd Billy, is a delight. Zeta-Jones gives just enough of her snobbish nature to make us believe that she is the established prima-Dona. Zellweger is not only gorgeous, but sings with the passion and desperation of a young go-getter. The true surprise is Reilly, as Roxie’s sweet and naive husband. He is sincere and real, and his solo performance of “Mr. Cellophane” is one of “Chicago’s” greatest highlights. There is so much more to discuss, but so little space remaining. My last point concerns “Chicago’s” staging. Every scene and set piece is unique, surpassing the viewer’s expectations and keeping them fixated on what is to come. Watch for Roxie’s dance with the mirrors, for the courtroom three-ring circus, for Billy’s tap dance, and for Roxie’s and Velma’s big finale in front of a wall of light. For those who have seen “Chicago,” these scenes are likely burnt into your mind. For those who haven’t, you are in for a treat. But again, it all comes back to Marshall. He finds the elusive balance between stage and screen, between revealing the entire scene and getting the close-ups that only movies can provide. He has trimmed and edited the film to maximize its energy. He has preserved the musical’s gritty, urban and elicit feel. He has a promising career ahead of him. 
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