All that jazz! - Chicago Reviews

Academy Award for Best Picture went to this musical extravaganza that tells the tale of two feuding jailbirds as adapted from the hit Broadway play. Set in the cabaret styled 1920?s, the plot follows a wannabe chorus girl Roxie Hart [Renee Zellweger] who murders her conniving lover in a lust of rage. Placed in jail awaiting trail, Roxie meets her mentor Velma Kelly [Catherine Zeta-Jones], who?s also a murderer. The plot thickens when everyone?s favorite attorney Billy Flynn [Richard Gere] enters the scene to represent either client who renders the most media attention. Roxie?s crime is now new to the press, so they focuses more on her and making her there cover story, that in turn infuriates Velma and the two beautiful dames face-off in song and dance to win the approval of the media and most important, there lawyer. Rob Marshall serving in his directorial debut, neither seems flustered or inexperienced as he offers trademarks of the great Vincente Minnelli and Bob Fosse. A major factor to this is his vast knowledge of the theatre environment where his skills in acting, writing, chorography, directing and almost anything else that surrounds the Broadway scene. Marshall dedication and perseverance towards the production of Chicago is meticulously excellent, as everything looks breathtakingly beautiful. Specifically noted is the immaculate musical numbers that are both articulate and explanatory, as most musicals tend to sway from the script as it burst into song and dance, Chicago develops it?s scenes with every individual song. A challenged cast if examined thoroughly, but Marshall in-depth accuracy in each character corrects the untalented in the field of musicals, perfect example is Renee Zellweger who accounts for a performance of a lifetime, although she is not known or trained to sing or dance, same scrutinization can go to the entire cast, to which Catherine Zeta-Jones benefited with her supporting actress Oscar. Further aggravation must go to the Academy board, for giving awards for cinematography and set-art direction, although a lavished atmosphere typed movie, blatant biasness is foreseen by the Academy as nominations in the respective fields went to movies like The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, Gangs Of New York and Road To Perdition. What maybe the only real fault towards this film, that aspect of grievance truly goes to the Academy, who has been decisively racial and annoyingly untrustworthy since the early 90?s as in comparison to the past. Chicago has it?s doubts in greatness as in terms of musical history, it?s probably the best film of the calendar year.