As movies go digital and trail blaze ahead with 3-D technology, it’s nice to see an older film that feels as though it was grafted from the stage, rife with metaphorical depth and space, and yet still maintains its image as a film production of massive proportions impossible to recreate in any theater.
Considering “Chicago” is this decade’s rebirth of the musical, there are probably more important things worth paying attention to, but you have to hold on to both the big and little things the movies have to offer.
Rob Marshall’s adaptation of “Chicago” is a remarkable musical in the spirit of “Cabaret.” It is a delightful romp full of fun performances, catchy rhythms and fabulous choreography on a massive scale. To not enjoy such a film would be to dislike entertainment. No, the plot is not riveted with psychological depth and drama. There is no revolutionary fancy footwork throughout the film either. But it is still a joy.
Renée Zellweger plays Roxie Hart, a young, cute woman with a spark in her eye and a dream to be a celebrity performing on stage. Her idol is Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a jazz performer famous for her work with her twin sister. But Velma will be performing a one-woman show for some time as she just murdered her sister and was arrested. On the same night, Roxie is cheating on her husband with a man that promises to get her a job on stage, lies about it and attempts to leave. Roxie murders him too, is sent to jail and the film becomes a contest between the two women to see who can control the spotlight of the press the longest.
This is a film with a cast full of actors having a lot of have fun, pushing their talents in dance and song to the limits and doing their best to translate that feeling of excitement to the audience. Zellweger and Zeta-Jones both are femme-fatales. Richard Gere gives a spunk filled performance as the girls’ lawyer. Queen Latifah has a dominating presence on screen. And John C. Reiley can actually act and sing! Who knew?
Together, what they accomplish can be stunning. One of the best song and dance numbers is “The Cellblock Tango,” an elaborate rendition and exposé of the women on murderer’s row singing about their crimes of passion. Simply the amount of performers in perfect unison to such a brilliant composition is unmatched this decade.
The scale of “Chicago” is what the film prides itself on, unfortunately forgetting any truly impressive individual performances. But upon reflection, there is no star today even remotely comparable to Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire. It would have been remarkable to see that level of achievement from an actor, but considering their position, what they do accomplish can be phenomenal.
And I found myself thoroughly impressed on more than one occasion. The editing of the film that mixes story elements with the many songs is seamlessly done. A number such as “We Both Reached for the Gun” even paints the press as a bunch of puppets controlled by others and interested in nothing other than crime and selling newspapers. I will say however that the makeup and visual trickery used throughout the song is more interesting than its message.
The critic inside me is saying I’d be hard pressed to give full praise to a one-dimensional story that pushes no new boundaries in terms of cinema, but the other part of me says I’d be hard pressed not to.
4 stars