Sex,
Death and Starshine
CHICAGO
RATING: A
Starring
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellwegger and Richard Gere. Queen
Latifah, John C. Reilly, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu, Colm Feore. Photographed
by Dion Beebe, Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, Production Designer
John Myhre, Produced by Martin Richards, Neil Meron, Craig Zadan,
Original Production by Fred Ebb, John Kander and Bob Fosse, Written
by Bill Condon, Directed by Rob Marshall.
Rated R, Running Time 105 MINS,
1.85:1 Academy Standard Aspect Ratio.
--"Welcome. Ladies
and gentleman, you are about to see a story of murder, greed,
corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery --
all those things we all hold near and dear to our hearts. Thank
you."
Chicago, Illinois. 1929. Roxie
Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a young and unhappy wife of a mechanic
who dreams of becoming a successful showgirl like her idol Velma
Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones). When Roxie learns that her lover
Fred Casely (Dominic West) will never get her a gig and was only
using her, she shoots him dead. Her husband Amos (John C. Reilly)
tries to take the blame for the crime but when he discovers Roxie's
been two timing him, he confesses and she gets a one way ticket
to the big house. Roxie aint the only gal in the Cook County jail
whose facing a murder rap. Most of her jail mates were caught
murdering their husbands or lovers along with Velma, who's been
charged with killing her husband and sister after she caught them
together.
 Roxie
soon befriends Matron "Mama" Morton (Queen Latifah)
whose system of mutual aid suits her clientele. She gets a taste
of the criminal justice system when Mama introduces her to that
ringmaster of the three ringed circus known as the courtroom:
Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). Billy knows Roxie has become the top
murderer-of-the-week and as mama says "death is entertainment
in this town." He's never lost a case and by re-arranging
Roxie's story and playing the media just right, he can get her
acquitted and make her a star. She may be the new media darling
but Roxie will soon discover that no one stays a star for long
in this town. People like Velma Kelly don't like their spotlight
being stolen and the press would sell more papers if Roxie were
to hang. Hey, that's Chicago!
There have been many incarnations
of the story of "Chicago", from Maurine Watkins' original
play "The Brave Little Woman" to the Ginger Rodgers
vehicle "Roxie Hart". It wasn't until the collaboration
of John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse in 1975 that "Chicago:
The Musical" took shape. Starring Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera
the show became a legend and was eventually revived in 1996 by
Fosse's protégé Ann Reining starring herself and
Bebe Neuwirth. I'm not an enthusiast of Broadway shows but I had
the privilege of seeing that production and it is probably the
best show I've ever seen. Theater is a bit trickier than film
because the audience must rely on their imagination even more.
Something they may not want to do at all. The 1996 production
of Chicago had a basic stage set of a black partition and chairs.
The songs told the story with such power and originality that
you didn't need to see a major setpiece for every scene. The cast
members along with the physicality of the dancing also told the
story in a way that would burn into your memory.
--"Give 'em the old
razzle dazzle!"
 For
many years there was talk of a movie adaptation with star names
like Madonna, Julia Roberts and even Courtney Love. I was pretty
nervous about a movie version of "Chicago" because I
feared someone would just screw it up. The story is actually pretty
simple but it would take someone with talent and visual imagination
to convey that story on screen. Director and choreographer Rob
Marshall has an impressive resume of projects. He was behind the
scenes on the Broadway productions of "Victor/Victoria"
"Kiss of the Spider Woman" and the ever popular hit
"Cabaret". His first feature as a director was the recent
television production of "Annie" but with the film adaptation
of "Chicago" he had a difficult task ahead of him. Marshall
has made such a task look like a walk in the park because he's
done the impossible and crafted a movie musical that surpasses
the original.
I can't begin to explain what
a joy it is to see a story that you have appreciated through the
use of your imagination translated by someone with an imagination
that is almost limitless. Marshall has taken the work and made
it even better. The story is tighter and meaner, the production
numbers rival Busboy Berkley and his choice of actors is right
on target.
I hate to say it, but Catherine
Zeta-Jones is probably best known as the wife of Michael Douglas.
After this film you may not see her that way again. You will totally
forget that this is a Welsh born actress and believe she's a hard
nosed veteran dancer from the streets of Chicago. She was indeed
a trained dancer and there are probably better physical performers
out there, but I honestly can not see anyone else in this role
but her. Velma Kelly was originated by Chita Rivera (who has a
nice but short cameo) and the performance of Bebe Neuwirth from
the '96 production will forever be burned in my memory, but I
think they would be proud of Zeta-Jones' work because she has
a touch of both of them within her. Zeta-Jones completely embodies
Velma, not just in spirit but in her physicality. I think the
physical change that she underwent from her recent pregnancy actually
aids her. Her body is no longer light and thin like a supermodel
or dancer, but full of weight and curves like a real woman.
-Roxie: " I can't work
with you, I hate you!"
-Velma: "There's only one business in the world where that
wouldn't be a problem."
 Zellweger
continues to prove with every role she takes that she's not some
obscure actress who got a lucky break as Tom Cruise's co-star
in "Jerry Maguire". She's gone from playing the overweight
and self-conscious Bridget Jones to this naive and exploited housewife
who ultimately becomes corrupted. I was constantly forgetting
that she really speaks with a Texan accent as she belted out one
tune after another, gaining confidence and power. I'm keeping
my fingers crossed that she'll receive another Oscar nomination
as Best Actress and if she doesn't win I know that a statuette
has her name on it for the near future.
Can Richard Gere sing? He sure
can man. You have to remember that Gere is from the old school
like Christopher Walken and other actors who first appeared in
the seventies. They learned not just how to act but to sing and
dance as well. The slimy but likable $5,000 a case Billy Flynn
is the perfect role for a man like him. He makes the lines that
roll off his tongue sound like he actually believes in them. "I
don't want to blow my own horn but if Jesus Christ came to me
with $5,000, things would've turned out a lot differently."
--"When you're good
to mama, mama's good to you!"
I applaud Marshall's choice of
Queen Latifah as Mama Morton a role played to perfection by Marcia
Lewis in the '96 production. Latifah is best known as an R&B
artist but there are a few directors in Hollywood who have noticed
her versatility as an actress. She can be warm an encouraging
one moment and give you the notion you better get stepping the
next. Perfect for a corrupting parasite like Mama. I'm also very
pleased with the choice of underrated actor John C. Reilly as
Amos, Roxie's abused and used husband. He is played the fool by
everyone and he knows it. His pain can not be conveyed anymore
powerfully than in his solo "Mister Cellophane", a tune
I've often hummed since seeing the Broadway show.
 I
wasn't too pleased with the choice of Christine Baranski as Mary
Sunshine the tabloid reporter that Billy Flynn plays his stories
to. In the '96 production she was played brilliantly by a man,
but drawing attention to her would take the focus off of Roxie
and the moral of the story wouldn't be made clear. There are a
few songs from the show that have been excised, amongst them one
where Mama and Velma lament about the loss of "Class".
To include many of these numbers would also take the focus off
of Roxie.
Marshall has brilliantly incorporated
Roxie into every musical number in the film. From the "Cell
Block Tango" where inmates discuss their crimes to "We
Both Reached For The Gun" where Billy Flynn literally controls
the media and Roxie from puppet strings. All of these moments
and imagery come from Roxie's imagination. She's bit out of touch
with reality and seeks solace in fantasy. That makes her easily
corruptible and also dangerous. She may have killed her lover
in a crime of passion but she along with many others, killers
or not, are guilty. This is a celebration of greed, sex and corruption.
It's all perfectly acceptable and nurtured in a town called Chicago
and you are supposed to lose yourself in the celebration like
the characters. It happened to me and I can honestly say that
I haven't felt this good about a film adaptation since "The
Lord of the Rings." How Marshall managed to squeeze so much
entertainment into an hour and 45 minutes I'll never know. The
success of "Moulin Rouge" showed us that the desire
for musicals is there and "Chicago" proves that it isn't
dead. Bravo!
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