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Chicago (2002)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
24 January 2003 (USA)
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Tagline:
With the right song and dance, you can get away with murder. more
Plot:
Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 6 Oscars.
Another 34 wins
&
54 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(213 articles)
And the title of the new 'Pirates of the Carribean' movie is...
(From Hitfix. 11 September 2009, 2:15 PM, PDT)
Queen Latifah Reveals Past As Sexual Abuse Victim
(From WENN. 10 June 2009, 9:10 AM, PDT)
(From Hitfix. 11 September 2009, 2:15 PM, PDT)
Queen Latifah Reveals Past As Sexual Abuse Victim
(From WENN. 10 June 2009, 9:10 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Charged, exhilarating, a treat and a surprise.
more (982 total)
US TV Schedule:
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Taye Diggs | ... | Bandleader | |
| Renée Zellweger | ... | Roxie Hart | |
| Cliff Saunders | ... | Stage Manager | |
| Catherine Zeta-Jones | ... | Velma Kelly | |
| Richard Gere | ... | Billy Flynn | |
| Queen Latifah | ... | Matron Mama Morton | |
| John C. Reilly | ... | Amos Hart | |
| Dominic West | ... | Fred Casely | |
| Christine Baranski | ... | Mary Sunshine | |
| Jayne Eastwood | ... | Mrs. Borusewicz | |
| Bruce Beaton | ... | Police Photographer | |
| Roman Podhora | ... | Sergeant Fogarty | |
| Colm Feore | ... | Harrison | |
| Rob Smith | ... | Newspaper Photographer | |
| Sean Wayne Doyle | ... | Reporter |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue, violence and thematic elements.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
113 min | Turkey:80 min (TV version)
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #39516) |
Netherlands:MG6 |
Iceland:12 |
Australia:M |
Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) |
Canada:AA (Ontario) |
Canada:G (Quebec) |
Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) |
Hong Kong:IIA |
Singapore:M18 (re-rating) |
South Korea:15 |
France:U |
Brazil:12 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Finland:K-11 |
Germany:12 |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Singapore:PG (cut) |
UK:12A (original rating) |
UK:12 (video rating) (2003) |
Greece:K-13
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The 1996 smash Broadway revival renewed interest, and new names became leading candidates for starring roles, including Goldie Hawn and Madonna. Nicholas Hytner was brought in as director, and he had Wendy Wasserstein re-write Larry Gelbart's script. The project again went on hold when Madonna withdrew and Nicole Kidman chose to do Moulin Rouge! (2001) instead.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Roxie refuses Velma's money for doing her laundry, Velma puts the money down her shirt. The position of the money changes in every shot.
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Quotes:
Matron Mama Morton:
Sometimes you get a little success, and it's good riddance to who put you there.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003) (TV)
more
Soundtrack:
Funny Honey
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FAQ
Was Roxie really pregnant?Was Queen Latifah's character (Mama Morton) a lesbian?
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more (982 total)
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I thoroughly enjoyed the current Broadway stage revival of Chicago -- the Kander and Ebb original, with Bob Fosse choreography, opened in 1975, starring Gwen Verdon (Roxie), Chita Rivera (Velma) and Jerry Orbach (Billy), all proven musical theatre talents. I saw the revival fairly early in its current run, starring Ann Reinking (Roxie), Bebe Neuwirth (Velma) and James Naughton (Billy), who are all proven in musical theatre as well.
The casting of this new film adaptation had me wondering -- Renee Zellwegger (Roxie), Catherine Zeta Jones (Velma) and Richard Gere (Billy)? Sure, they can act, but can they sing and dance?
Big time. The strength of their performances alone is almost enough to carry the film. Whether the stars come by these moves and voices easily, or were rehearsed within an inch of their lives, it's clear they come by them naturally -- they each perform their own songs, and the dance moves are both fluid and stylistically true to the Fosse choreography. Attention to choreographic integrity in this film is to be expected: director Rob Marshall is a choreographer by trade. The sizzling staging of Velma's and Roxie's "Finale" is practically a Fosse quotation from beginning to end, and is razzle-dazzling beyond the stage version, via the cinematography and editing techniques that only the film medium provides.
I was prepared for a watered-down Hollywood take on the wildly popular, 6 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival, but sans the stage talents that got it there. But I actually liked the film BETTER. The film's screenplay adaptation, by Bill Condon, fleshes out the narrative to allow an emotional connection to the characters in a way that I didn't experience in the theater. The film integrates the songs to the story by cutting between an electrifying staged rendition and the 1920's Chicago world of the narrative. This technique gives the characters space for an inner emotional life thus letting the audience better connect with them.
I did have a few quibbles. The song "Class", a personal favorite, was cut, likely to keep the momentum up as we rush toward Roxie's sensational jury trial, which delivers several musical treats of its own, and is the dramatic apogee of the story. And, while I found John C. Reilly a most pathetic but sympathetic Amos, I felt that Joel Grey evoked those qualities much more effectively in his Broadway rendition of "Mr. Cellophane."
The story, while providing an opportunity for some juicy songs and sharply funny characters, is more than just eye candy. Its portrayal of cynical manipulation of the criminal justice system by creating a celebrity-hungry media circus (the raison d'etre of Richard Gere's Billy Flynn) is more than apt today. But if there's any moralizing going on here, it's with a wink and a flash of leg. Chicago is a treat.