Directed by Rob Marshall

Chicago was the winner of six 2002 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound and Film Editing. So why did I find this film boring? You would think that this was something to write home to mother about and I know many people who did, but to me it rated as average entertainment. I expected to enjoy this is much as Moulin Rouge and was sadly disappointed.

Chicago is not like the modern style musical that Baz Luhrman has given us where the songs add flavour and intensify the story. Chicago’s style is more like the 40s musical where the songs are just often there because they can be. Don’t get me wrong the musical numbers are very good and I was impressed by how well Zellweger, Zeta Jones, Latifah and Gere have performed in both singing and dancing, it just lacked pizzazz and dare I say “Razzle Dazzle”. To me the “It” factor was missing.

I didn’t feel any sympathy for the characters except for perhaps Amos. They were a pretty heartless lot. You have Roxie who is desperate to attain fame on the stage and kills when she is cheated from her chance. Velma who has fame and kills when she is cheated. Billy the lawyer who wants his money and will cheat to win and Amos, Roxie’s husband who is just plain cheated.

Velma is a night club singer, her stage act is a duo performance with her sister and she has just killed her husband and sister, because she caught them in their own act. Once arrested and in prison she hires the best lawyer there is, Billy Flynn. Billy has never lost a case and has the knack of turning notorious killers into media spectacles.

Roxie is HAVING an affair so she can meet the owners of a club her lover says he has contacts with. He doesn’t, she kills him. Roxie’s husband Amos loves his wife so much he initially lies to protect her, until he realises she’s cheated on him.

Roxie is sent to the same prison as Velma and they find themselves on Chicago’s Murderesses Row. This section of the prison is overseen by the Warden known as Mama, played brilliantly by Queen Latifah. Mama controls every activity of their prison life, organising lawyers, media interviews, cigarettes, the works. For this she is paid and is not above double crossing the girls when it is to her benefit. Latifah has one of the best songs of the movie “When You’re Good To Mama”.

In the meantime, Amos who still loves Roxie so much, tries to raise money he doesn’t have, to get the best lawyer there is, you guessed it, Billy Flynn.

Billy loves attention as much as the ladies and plays the media to win his cases for him. He sees a bigger chance of the spotlight with Roxie than with Velma, so Velma is pushed back and is none to happy about it.

All this sound a bit twee? It is. Probably the best number in the film goes to Amos (John C Reilly) as Mr Cellophane, singing about being invisible. But it is not enough to save this film from being just a glitz and glamour musical. There is very little in this film to give it heart and soul and I guess that’s what disappoints me. The song and dance routines are meant to be images from Roxie’s mind, so why do we at times need an MC to introduce the numbers to tell us the title and give us a clue why the number is there?

Chicago is full of the Hollywood glitz and glamour. It deserved, best costume and best sound awards. The cinematography is great. Performances by the stars are great, it just didn’t gel for me. Perhaps it will for you. As I have said, I know loads of people who raved about it and certainly the box office takings were huge. Maybe I just didn’t buy the version of “Razzle Dazzle” on offer. I only gave it an average rating, as I thought that despite the glamour it was an average film. I know plenty will disagree with me.

THE EXTRAS

Check my comments about format presentation here in “The Picture”

Behind The Scenes Special.

This was the usual standard fare of looking how the cast came together, rehearsal time and how much fun they all had. It gave the background of the actors and basically verification of their skills to pull off the roles. Lots of he was so good, and she was so helpful. But reasonably interesting.

Deleted Musical Number “Class” With Audio Commentary.

This number had lyrics that were far more fun than a lot of other numbers in the film. I understand that it was cut as it didn’t fit in with the premise that the numbers were images from Roxies mind, but it would have added some sympathy to Velmas character and aided the movie.

Feature Commentary - After being disappointed with the movie and finding it boring, I couldn’t face a session of the director telling us why this was shot a certain way. Please I don’t need to know why I was already bored.

CONCLUSION

Roxie Hart and Velma Kelley are two of Chicago’s murderesses on trial during the Jazz and Booze era of the 1930s. Velma has fame and Roxie wants it, and both will do anything to ensure the get what they want. Chicago is full of bright, dazzling, musical numbers and a must see for those who enjoy 1940s style musicals.