Chicago (2002)

Directed by Rob Marshall. Starring Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, Christine Baranski, Colm Feore, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu, Dominic West. [R]

Flashy film version of the Bob Fosse-Fred Ebb-John Kander musical (itself based on a 1920s stage play) about pathetic housewife Roxie Hart (Zellwegger), who cheats on her schmuck of a hubbie (Reilly) and winds up in jail after killing her lover. Things may seem hopeless, but this is Chicago, and she learns quickly how to play the fame game, even hiring smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn (Gere), who uses her celebrity status to gain public favor. Director/choreographer Marshall solves the problem of how to present the endless song-and-dance numbers: depict them as being part of Hart’s wild imagination, and weave them into the fabric of the “straight” plot scenes. An energetic, well-mounted effort, but the movie runs out of steam far too quickly; the musical productions stomp through at such a relentless clip, there’s hardly any time to catch one’s breath. Devilish cynicism and black comedy is the prime selling point, but the late scenes require interest in the fates of these hollow human vessels (needless to say, they stumble badly). By the time the final exhausting and charmless showstopper arrives, the sole character still holding interest is duplicitous Flynn, who can be spotted only briefly as a spectator, wearing a smile as phony as his integrity. Won six Oscars, including Picture, Supporting Actress (Zeta-Jones), and Sound.

54/100