Pop
- Six - Squish - Ah Ah - Cicero - Lipschitz...
The
revered Broadway musical makes a glorious and
spectacular transition to the silver screen in
one of the most vividly realized and
entertaining films I have ever seen. I can't
remember when I last had this much fun at the
movies... I'm not sure if I ever have.
The songs are fun and energetic, absolutely
inviting you to sing along. The sets are
memorably beautiful and the cinematography
dances with perfection. The costumes, especially
those of Zeta Jones and Zellweger are
deliciously sexy in every way. This film is
certainly unashamed of it's brazen sensuality.
There is always something beautiful to look at
and there's always a song and dance number right
around the corner. It is certifiably impossible
to be bored by this film.
And then there's the fabulously entertaining
plot which centers on Roxie Hart (Zellweger) who
dreams of stardom in 1920's Chicago. She
fantasizes about the fame enjoyed by Velma Kelly
(Zeta Jones) and others who strut the stages,
and the film uses those fantasy sequences to
generate the musical numbers. It is so supremely
well done that it solidifies the comeback of the
big screen musical, which was jump started last
year with the release of Moulin Rouge.
Velma is arrested for killing her husband and
sister in a jealous rage and is joined in jail
by Roxie just a few weeks later when she kills
her lover for lying and manipulating her. They
both hire Billy Flynn (Gere), the flamboyant and
undefeated attorney who boasts, 'If Jesus Christ
had lived in Chicago and if he'd had $5,000, and
had come to me... things would have turned out
differently.'
Before the big trial, Billy and Roxie manipulate
the press in every way imaginable so as to
influence the public opinion in their favor. The
film does a magnificent job of reflecting the
corruption of fame, the fleeting nature of fame,
and the greed that accompanies it.
The actors are all incredible, but special note
must be given to Catherine Zeta Jones who
absolutely shines in this performance. She is
the only one of the main leads to have had a ton
of musical experience... and it shows. She is an
absolutely fantastic dancer and her singing is
powerful and emotional. Zellweger is good at the
song and dance, but pales in comparison.
However, it works out well for the film because
Roxie is supposed to be a two-bit talent.
Richard Gere also has some really nice scenes
and the supporting cast all have their moments.
John C. Reilly and Queen Latifa each get their
own musical numbers and both surprised me a
great deal.
When the tunes aren't pumping, the actors all
give good performances in the standard dialog
scenes. But Zeta Jones is the big star here and
she deserves some Oscar consideration... perhaps
in a supporting role (But I wouldn't object if
it was considered a leading role).
This was so much fun! It's the kind of film that
can be enjoyed over and over and over again.
This is truly a classic movie and it ranks as
one of the best films to hit theatres in the
last decade.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
This
is a film that I felt was well done, but I can't
say I really enjoyed it. I give it an "A" mainly
out of respect for the performances and obvious
quality. Still, I didn't connect with this film.
I admired Zellweger's performance...I thought
Gere was tailor made for his part. I definitely
do not agree with an Oscar for Zeta Jones (and,
no, I wouldn't have gone with Queen Latifah
either). There are several films I'd have picked
over it for the Best Picture.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
