Chicago

2002

PG-13

1h 53m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

2.8K

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4 Videos

88 Images

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.

Directors

Rob Marshall

Writers

Bill Condon(screenplay by)

Fred Ebb(lyricist by)

Fred Ebb(book by)

Stars

Renée Zellweger

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Richard Gere

See production, box office & company info

Videos4

Trailer
Watch Official Trailer
Trailer
Watch Trailer
Featurette
Watch Rob Marshall on casting Roxie Hart in CHICAGO
Featurette
Watch Songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb on CHICAGO

Top cast

Roxie Hart

Velma Kelly

Billy Flynn

Matron Mama Morton

Ekaterina Chtchelkanova

Katalin Helinski "Hunyak"

Amos Hart

Mary Sunshine

Kitty Baxter

Bandleader

Harrison

Fred Casely

Mona

June

Annie

Liz

Stage Manager

Mrs. Borusewicz

Police Photographer

Directors

Rob Marshall

Writers

Bill Condon(screenplay by)

Fred Ebb(lyricist by)

Fred Ebb(book by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Gazillions of babes frolicking around in showgirl costumes and lingerie In mid-20’s Chicago Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) find themselves on death row for murdering their lovers and fan the fame that will keep them from the gallows with the assistance of a slick lawyer (Richard Gere). John C. Reilly plays Roxie’s likable but dimwitted husband while Latifah is on hand as the avaricious prison matron. People criticize this amusing satirical musical for being sleazy, but it would be hard to lampoon and ridicule the corrupt targets of the media and the legal (in)justice system without showing, um, sleaze. That's the point of the original 1926 play “Chicago” and all its successive incarnations, including this acclaimed 2002 movie: illustrating and sarcastically denouncing sleaze via a droll musical. “Chicago” without sleaze would be akin to “Apocalypse Now” without war. Believe it or not, the movie is based on real women, Beulah Annan (represented by Roxie) and Belva Gaertner (Velma), who were imprisoned for killing lovers in spring, 1924, in two unrelated incidents. The actual accounts were salacious with loads of sex & violence; and both were ultimately acquitted. Maurine Dallas Watkins wrote the original play, which was intended as a stinging satire of the lack of morals in Chicago during the roaring 20s. Watkins was, interestingly, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune who covered the popular trials and is represented by Mary Sunshine (Christine Baranski) in the film. Several of the peripheral characters are also based on real-life individuals who played a part in the unfolding drama, e.g. journalists, attorneys, officials and convicts. I’m not big on musicals beyond ones like “Moulin Rouge” (1952) and “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), but “Chicago” works for me simple due to the scores of beautiful women prancing around in scanty showgirl apparel of the 20s. It’s the same reason I love figure skating. After the passage of the 19th Amendment, American women were basking in their newfound freedoms and “Chicago” depicts this euphoric emancipation. I also appreciate “Chicago” because Gere is great and there are some creative pieces, like the puppet one and the tap-dancing part. All the musical skits are in Roxie’s imagination, except for the opening “All that Jazz” performed by Velma at the club and the climatic one, which features both Velma & Roxie. The film runs 1 hour, 53 minutes. GRADE: B

Wuchak21 Aug, 2018