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"Take
Me Back to 'Chicago'"
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| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes! Renee Zellweger paints the town red in "Chicago" |
How's this for entertainment...
With December 31 literally just a few hours away, the best film of the year is finally upon us, and boy, is it a doozie! Based upon the 1975 hit Broadway musical of the same name, the long-awaited big screen version of "Chicago" fits the playbill as an enchanting, exciting and exhilarating triumph that leaves the rest of the holiday movie competition in the dust. Sassy, sexy and sharp as hell, "Chicago" will quite simply leave you spellbound.
The year is 1929 in the swingin' city of Chicago, and aspiring showgirl Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) would kill to be a star. She gets her wish after a heated crime of passion lands her in the slammer, and her only hope lies in the hands of Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), a sleazy lawyer with an uncanny knack for manipulating the press. Billy agrees to take on Roxie's case, but he's already busy representing Velma Kelley (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the sultry, seductive prima donna who Roxie always aspired to be. Roxie and Velma go head-to-head in their quest for stardom, but only one of them will emerge victorious in this game of sex, murder, fame...and all that jazz.
More than any other film this year, you can't help but get swept up in the magic of "Chicago." Not only will you forget that you're watching a movie, but you'll want to stand up and cheer after every number, and when it's over, you'll wonder where all the time went. More accessible than last year's admirable, but headache-inducing "Moulin Rouge," "Chicago" is the New Musical of the 21st Century that we've all been waiting for, and it's well on it's way to becoming the first musical to win a Best Picture Oscar since 1968's "Oliver!"
Beyond the fact that the song-and-dance numbers will keep you on the edge of your seat, "Chicago" is extremely well-written with a sharp, timeless screenplay by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (1998's "Gods and Monsters"). The film captures the obsessive and destructive allure of stardom, and many of the biting one-liners and dramatic motivations could easily have taken place today. As for the stylish, energetic direction, Rob Marshall gives his regards to Broadway while making a grand film that feels like it was always destined for the big screen treatment in the first place.
The performances here are so wonderful, the actors will have their original naysayers eating out of the palm of their hands. That's especially the case with Renee Zellweger, who's been making all the right moves ever since she co-starred with Tom Cruise in 1996's "Jerry Maguire." On top of her charming turn in 2000's "Nurse Betty" and her Oscar-nominated performance in 2001's "Bridget Jones's Diary," Zellweger is an absolute revelation here and deserves to take a long-overdue bow as the irresistible and vulnerable Roxie Hart.
That doesn't stop Catherine Zeta-Jones from stealing every scene she's in, and she's so commanding and compulsively watchable, you simply can't take your eyes off her. For the first time since her breakthrough in 1998's "The Mask of Zorro," she gives a feisty, gutsy, no-holds-barred performance that shows what she's truly capable of. The same goes for Richard Gere, who's never been better as the suave charmer at the center of it all, and like Zellweger and Zeta-Jones, he displays some extraordinary singing and dancing chops that will blow you away.
When it comes down to it, if you're going to see one movie this year, see "Chicago." It's so fantastic and wonderful, you can't help but feel all warm inside even after you embrace the chill of the cool December air. In bringing the legendary Bob Fosse's musical to the big screen, director Rob Marshall puts the "chic" back in "Chicago," and the result is an amazing cinematic achievement that will leave moviegoers begging for an encore.
Now, that's entertainment!
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© Scott Mantz - Scott's Movie Reviews
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