:
Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Renée Zellweger,
more...
:
Rob Marshall,
Rob Marshall
see all cast/crew...
: 
: Miramax
: Prison, Musicals, Women in Prison
: 113 min.
: English, French
: Spanish
see additional details...
This title is currently out of print.
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A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" can go in this screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago, originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. In the mid-'20s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a small-time chorus dancer married to a well-meaning dunderhead named Amos (John C. Reilly). Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley (Dominic West), a smooth talker who insists he can make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far for his own good, and when she realizes that his promises are empty, she becomes enraged and murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy vaudeville star who used to perform with her sister until Velma discovered that her sister had been sleeping with her husband. Velma shot them both dead, and, after scheming prison matron "Mama" Morton hooks Velma up with hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Velma becomes the new Queen of the scandal sheets. Roxie is just shrewd enough to realize that her poor fortune could also bring her fame, so she convinces Amos to also hire Flynn. Soon Flynn is splashing Roxie's story -- or, more accurately, a highly melodramatic revision of Roxie's story -- all over the gutter press, and Roxy and Velma are soon battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. A project that had been moving from studio to studio since the musical opened on Broadway in 1973, Chicago also features guest appearances by Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
You might also enjoy:
All That Jazz
Extremely stylish, lively vision of Bob Fosse's over-the-top life
The Cotton Club
Stylish musical about 20's Harlem also featured Gere in lead role
Cabaret
Classic, Oscar-winning musical envisioned by Bob Fosse
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| Not much of a musicial critic...
by Emosjrny
January 4, 2004 - 4:32 PM PST
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0 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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| The first thing that must be noted is this review is coming from someone who's knowledge of movie musicals extends to childhood viewings of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease" and that's about it! That said, how can you not like a movie that won 6 of it's 13 nominated Academy Awards including Best Picture. It's not the best of looks for CZ-J but her and Zellweger excel exceptionally talent-wise and Gere's acting is terrific though his singing does take some getting used to. Worth a look! Hey, Oscar can't be that wrong!!! |
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