Critic's Grade: A

CHICAGO (2002)

THE GOOD:

--The musical numbers in this film are truly astounding. They are brilliantly choreographed, wonderfully filmed and the actors do terrific jobs. Each musical number is filled with vibrant, kinetic energy; all use colours to great effect. I was impressed with how well Rob Marshall built everything up, I've never seen a movie by this guy before and he really has excellent skill. It shows in the way he utilises everything and anything to his bargain, and his talent for bringing mood and atmosphere to all these wonderfully constructed sets and musical numbers.

--Bill Condon's script tremendously captures the essence of scandalous Hollywood. This is shown most successfully through Roxie Hart's story. This girl rises and falls in a number of different ways. In the beginning she is a sweet, cute little button with charming aspirations for fame. By the end of the film, she is frankly a kanniving little ** who'll stop at nothing to receive money, power and fame. This isn't random at all; it's crafted very well and absolutely believable given the circumstances. It was massively entertaining and often hysterically funny seeing how Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly came up with new ways to get the press's attention, I especially loved Roxie's cry of "I hope the fall didn't hurt the baby!"

--This film isn't filled with the best cast, you might say. Renee Zellweger is probably one of the only really reliable actresses in the film. I mean, think about it, Catherine Zeta-Jones has never been very accomplished as an actress, she failed dismally in films like "The Haunting" and "Entrapment". Richard Gere is all right, but he's never been that popular with audiences and critics. Well, you'll forget all about that while watching this movie. Zellweger predictably turns in a top-form performance; she is just delightful in the role. Gere is also razzle-dazzle terrific, he somehow brings across warmth in this sleazy, unlikeable role. There aren't many actors who can do that. Zeta-Jones is the real shining star of the film, she is simply INCREDIBLE. Her performance is the most energetic of the film and Zeta-Jones does step a foot wrong. I was so completely convinced by her that I totally forgot I was watching an actress?she WAS Velma Kelly, through and through. Queen Latifah is also excellent, proving big is beautiful and showing her comedic range. All the actors are actually really good singers too; I loved how they all used their real voices?very cool.

--"Chicago" has a bit of everything and will probably be enjoyed by the majority of audiences. It has quite a bit of comedy, a lot of music and beat, energy a-go-go, even a little bit of dramatic empathy in places. It's an all-round film; it's hard to think of any audience (of age or choice) who wouldn't enjoy it.

THE BAD:

--"Chicago" slows down a little towards the end. The musical numbers are as awesome as ever, but the courtroom scenes have a tendency to be a tiny bit repetitive and some scenes felt like 'lets get through this dialogue part so we can move on to the next musical number.' Rarely I felt this way, but it still has to be mentioned.

--Lucy Liu's role serves no purpose in the film other than to give Roxie another reason to be a front-page star. This is very obvious and it's a waste of a potentially very good performance from Liu (what screen-time she has features some great acting from the "Charlie's Angels" star).

RATING:

9/10 - Not quite as strong as last year's "Moulin Rouge", "Chicago" remains one exhilarating funny honey that left me cheering.

IF YOU LIKED THIS MOVIE I RECOMMEND:

Almost Famous (10/10)
Boogie Nights (10/10)
L.A. Confidential (9/10)
Moulin Rouge (10/10)
Nurse Betty (9/10)

All Reviews by Michael Carruthers
If you are the author of this review, you may edit it by signing in.