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 How's
this for entertainment...
With December 31 literally just a few hours away, the best film
of the year is finally upon us, and boy, is it a doozie! Based
upon the 1975 hit Broadway musical of the same name, the long-awaited
big screen version of Chicago fits the playbill as an enchanting,
exciting and exhilarating triumph that leaves the rest of the
holiday movie competition in the dust. Sassy, sexy and sharp as
hell, Chicago will quite simply leave you spellbound.
The year is 1929 in the swingin' city of Chicago, and aspiring
showgirl Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) would kill to be a star.
She gets her wish after a heated crime of passion lands her in
the slammer, and her only hope lies in the hands of Billy Flynn
(Richard Gere), a sleazy lawyer with an uncanny knack for manipulating
the press. Billy agrees to take on Roxie's case, but he's already
busy representing Velma Kelley (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the sultry,
seductive prima donna who Roxie always aspired to be. Roxie and
Velma go head-to-head in their quest for stardom, but only one
of them will emerge victorious in this game of sex, murder, fame...and
all that jazz.
More than any other film this year, you can't help but get swept
up in the magic of Chicago. Not only will you forget that
you're watching a movie, but you'll want to stand up and cheer
after every number, and when it's over, you'll wonder where all
the time went. More accessible than last year's admirable, but
headache-inducing Moulin Rouge, Chicago is the New Musical
of the 21st Century that we've all been waiting for, and it's
well on it's way to becoming the first musical to win a Best Picture
Oscar since 1968's Oliver!
Beyond the fact that the song-and-dance numbers will keep you
on the edge of your seat, Chicago is extremely well-written
with a sharp, timeless screenplay by Oscar-winner Bill Condon
(1998's Gods and Monsters). The film captures the obsessive
and destructive allure of stardom, and many of the biting one-liners
and dramatic motivations could easily have taken place today.
As for the stylish, energetic direction, Rob Marshall gives his
regards to Broadway while making a grand film that feels like
it was always destined for the big screen treatment in the first
place.
The performances here are so wonderful, the actors will have
their original naysayers eating out of the palm of their hands.
That's especially the case with Renee Zellweger, who's been making
all the right moves ever since she co-starred with Tom Cruise
in 1996's Jerry Maguire. On top of her charming turn in
2000's Nurse Betty and her Oscar-nominated performance
in 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary, Zellweger is an absolute
revelation here and deserves to take a long-overdue bow as the
irresistible and vulnerable Roxie Hart.
That doesn't stop Catherine Zeta-Jones from stealing every scene
she's in, and she's so commanding and compulsively watchable,
you simply can't take your eyes off her. For the first time since
her breakthrough in 1998's The Mask of Zorro, she gives
a feisty, gutsy, no-holds-barred performance that shows what she's
truly capable of. The same goes for Richard Gere, who's never
been better as the suave charmer at the center of it all, and
like Zellweger and Zeta-Jones, he displays some extraordinary
singing and dancing chops that will blow you away.
When it comes down to it, if you're going to see one movie this
year, see Chicago. It's so fantastic and wonderful, you
can't help but feel all warm inside even after you embrace the
chill of the cool December air. In bringing the legendary Bob
Fosse's musical to the big screen, director Rob Marshall puts
the "chic" back in Chicago, and the result is
an amazing cinematic achievement that will leave moviegoers begging
for an encore.
Now, that's entertainment!
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