Chicago is a throwback to the grand musicals of “Old Hollywood,” but with the “razzle-dazzle” star power of Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, with sparkling direction from Rob Marshall in his directorial film debut. Driven by a passion for fame, Roxy Hart (Zellweger) finds herself in Chicago’s Cook County Jail in 1924 for murder, where her idol Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and a chorus line of other incarcerated women – “he had itcoming!” – sing about the rage of their injustices. Richard Gere is the slick but effective lawyer Billy Flynn, who transforms Roxy into a victim cause celebre – while Zeta-Jones smolders as her thunder gets stolen. John C. Reilly is a cellophane sap who stands by his wife Roxy, and Queen Latifah kills as the jailhouse matron “Mama” Morton, who lays down the rules Etta James style. Based on the successful Broadway show of the same name, Chicago sends up and strips down our country’s fascination with celebrity culture and how the media can shape a narrative with spectacle over substance, and revived the Hollywood musical with a killer 13 Academy Award nominations.
“Isn’t just the most explosively entertaining movie musical in a couple of decades. It’s going to be the most influential: the one that inspires the rebirth of the Hollywood musical.” – David Edelstein, Slate
“Sophisticated, brash, sardonic, completely joyful in its execution. It gives anyone who ever loved movie musicals, and lamented their demise, something to live for.” – Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
