Chicago (2002)

Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer's attention.

Director:

Rob Marshall

Writers:

Bill Condon (screenplay), Bob Fosse (book)

Stars:

Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere

Won 6 Oscars. Another 51 wins & 129 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taye Diggs	...	Bandleader
Cliff Saunders	...	Stage Manager
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Velma Kelly
Renée Zellweger	...	Roxie Hart
Dominic West	...	Fred Casely
Jayne Eastwood	...	Mrs. Borusewicz
Bruce Beaton	...	Police Photographer
Roman Podhora	...	Sergeant Fogarty
John C. Reilly	...	Amos Hart
Colm Feore	...	Harrison
Rob Smith	...	Newspaper Photographer
Sean Wayne Doyle	...	Reporter
Steve Behal	...	Prison Clerk
Robbie Rox	...	Prison Guard
Chita Rivera	...	Nickie

Storyline

Murderesses Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) (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.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | newspaper | bad girl | jazz age | remake | 

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Taglines:

The one movie that has it all.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue, violence and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

Miramax Films became involved in a new attempt to film the musical in 1994, and Larry Gelbart was brought in to work on a script, eventually turning out seven drafts, while directors Milos Forman, Herbert Ross, and Baz Luhrmann turned down the project.

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Goofs

During the song "Cell Block Tango", you can see tape on Annie's chest above her black outfit.

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Quotes

Matron Mama Morton: In this town, murder's a form of entertainment.

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Crazy Credits

The title "CHICAGO" appears as a "C" in the middle of a zoom of Roxie's eye, then the rest of the letters light up around it.

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Alternate Versions

The musical number "Class," featuring Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was deleted from the final version of the film. However, it was recut into the movie for a brief, extremely limited theatrical re-release in the summer of 2003. It then appeared on DVD as a bonus feature, but was NOT intercut there.

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Connections

References Pennies from Heaven (1981)

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Soundtracks

Class
(1975)
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Filmed and recorded by Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones but cut after previews for the released print

User Reviews

Charged, exhilarating, a treat and a surprise.

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Germany Canada UK

Language:

English Hungarian

Release Date:

24 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chicago: The Musical

Filming Locations:

Danforth Music Hall - 147 Danforth Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,074,929, 29 December 2002

Gross USA:

$170,687,518

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$306,776,732

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Producers Circle, Storyline Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (Digital DTS Sound)

Color:

Black and White (mock newsreel) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1