"This trial... the whole world... it's all... show business!"
STARRING
Renee Zellwegger
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Richard Gere
Directed by Rob Marshall
Rated PG-13
And here we have it: the Best Picture of 2002. This is it – the Big Kahuna. The King of Films of 2002. The Big Cheese. That’s what I was thinking as soon as I started watching this movie. This is supposed to be a good movie, I thought. The best of the year. However, the question is: was I right? Or rather, was the Academy right?
For those of you don’t know, Chicago is a musical. Yeah, that’s right a musical. You know, one of those movies where there’s a lot of singing and dancing, and until Moulin Rouge, seemed to have been wiped off the face of earth. So, needless to say, this is not your typical new-millennium film.
The plot is fairly easy to follow: It’s the early 20th century, and Roxie Hart (Zellwegger) wants to be a Chicago showgirl. Unfortunately, she kills her boyfriend and all her dreams come crashing down. Bummer, eh? While in prison she meets Vera (Zeta-Jones), who was formerly the top dancer in the biz. She hires Billy Flynn (Gere), the greatest lawyer in the city, to convince the jury to set her free. Lots and lots of music ensues.
The acting is solid – perhaps that’s why Zellwegger and Zeta-Jones were both nominated for Oscars? However, I don’t know if I would deem it the best of the year. I haven’t seen Adaptation or The Hours, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the performances in those two movies are slightly better than those in this movie. Either way, the actors here are very good, both with the singing and dancing as well as the spoken dialogue. Though I for one can’t see why Richard Gere wasn’t at least nominated; he was at least as good as his female co-stars – he even gets to show the world that he knows how to tap dance.
The music is good, but by no means spectacular. There are a few scenes that stand out above the others (the Cell Block Tango comes to mind) but overall I wouldn’t say there’s really anything special. Perhaps it’s just that after being bombarded with so much singing and dancing it’s all running together in my head. Yes, there’s a lot of music here folks. Too much, in my opinion. The sheer volume of musical performances that are constantly being dished out is a tad overwhelming. Sometimes I wished they would just slow down and get on with the story instead of launching right into another song after only a few sentences of linking dialogue. We understood that it was a musical after the first number. There’s a fine line between using music to simply flesh out the story and just plain overdoing it. This film crossed the line.
The directing has got to be applauded. The musical moments are filled with colors, lights and (at times) some incredibly choreography. The atmosphere of what it was like a few decades ago is beautifully kept intact throughout the entire movie. Whether it’s the dark and gritty Cell Block Tango or the strange and artistic ventriloquist act, there’s no doubt that Rob Marshall has at least made Chicago a pleasure look at.
In terms of offensive material, this film has very little. There are brief shots of Roxie having sex with her boyfriend interlaced with a dance number, but nothing terribly graphic. Other than that, the only possible objection might be that some of the dance moves are rather suggestive. The lyrics are clean (for the most part), and I was surprised at how little profanity was present.
This film does bring up an interesting message, and that is the idea that murder is seen as a show, an act. Roxie is constantly living out another life in her mind; that of a dancer on stage. The viewer finds out about the crimes of other people through a dance number. The audience is even given a taste of how manipulative Gere’s character is through a musical performance. At one point in the movie Roxie is dismayed when she sees the press running off to interview someone other than her, a newer criminal at large. Flynn sums up the message of this film by saying something to the effect of, “It’s all part of show business.” Looking at the movie on this deeper level might cause one to really think about what this implies. Look around at current events – the war in Iraq, September 11, the Michael Jackson accusation. Isn’t it true to some extent that the media really is just another genre of “show business”? As soon as we open the newspaper or watch the news we’re constantly presented with flashy headlines and the latest gossip about which celebrities are dating each other. I think that to some extent Chicago hit the nail on the head – like it or not, the media does treat current events, in some ways, as a giant show in which the only goal is to grab people’s attention and sell the most papers.
Chicago is a pretty good movie. It’s not good enough to have deserved Best Picture, in my opinion. Then again, I haven’t seen any of the other nominees. If you’re in the mood for a musical, give this one a try. I give it a 7/10.
The Bottom Line: The tremendous amount of music can make things a little repetitive, but overall it’s pretty good. Plus, there’s an interesting message if you’re willing to think about it. And hey, who wouldn’t want to see Richard Gere tap dance?
Should I see it? If you don’t mind a few sexual situations and can handle lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of music, then go for it.