The transition from the musical stage to the screen is not
always an easy one. Sometimes, as in the case of "Evita"
and "Jesus Christ Superstar", the transition is
entertaining and easy to watch. Most times, however, the
transition is laborious and pointless. "Chicago"
falls into the highly entertaining and unbelievably stylish
department. This is not the best film of the year, by any
means, but it is one hell of a fun movie going experience.
I
was fortunate enough to see the London stage production of
"Chicago" earlier this year and was highly impressed.
It was possibly the best musical I saw on my trip to England.
What makes the stage production to enjoyable is how the
performers use the lack of set pieces to their advantage.
It is a fast moving story with lots of 'razzle dazzle' and
plenty of murder and mayhem. This translates wonderfully
to the screen, thanks to some brilliant directing from Rob
Marshall, whose only other screen effort was the television
remake of "Annie" in 1998.
This film tells the story of Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger), a
woman who murders her lying, no-good boyfriend and ends up
behind bars. She quickly makes friends with Mama Morton
(Queen Latifah), who has the tendency to turn convicts into
celebrities, with the help of 'razzle dazzle' defense attorney
Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). Roxie decides to go all out
and let Billy Flynn mold her into a celebrity, but is in
constant competition with the the prison diva, Velma Kelly
(Catherine Zeta-Jones). Most of the film is about the
rivalry between Roxie and Velma, but is nothing without the
fantastic supporting characters. John C. Reilly stars as
Amos Hart, Roxie's naive husband, who pays for her defense,
while he is treated with zero respect. Amos also sings my
favorite song from the play/film, entitled "Mr.
Cellophane", in which he describes how no one notices him.
Another favorite is the opening number, "All That
Jazz", in which Catherine Zeta-Jones shows how good of a
dancer she use to be. And, when Richard Gere belts out
"Razzle Dazzle" (his signature song), you would bet
your life it was someone else. Alas, it is not.
I
think what makes this film so entertaining is that none of the
actors are known for their musical backgrounds. John C.
Reilly has an extensive background in theatre, but not musical
theatre. Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger are simply
wonderful, but it is Queen Latifah who really shines in one of
the more demanding of the roles. Christine Baranski, Taye
Diggs, and Lucy Lui also pop up in small supporting roles.
One thing I didn't like was that "Class", a song sung
my Mama and Velma--which was one of my favorites from the
play--was cut out of the film so Marshall could have his fast
paced ending. The ending did work well, but that was an
extremely good song and I thought should have remained. I
also had problems with some of the set decoration. What
made the play so exhilirating was the lack thereof. I know
this was a movie and all, but they sometimes went a little over
the top. Other than that, the choreography (which differs
somewhat from the Bob Fosse vision) was marvelous and the song
and dance numbers were expertly timed and presented. This
was leagues better than "Moulin Rouge", and THANK GOD
it has been getting incredible notice from critics. This
one has a shot of being a Best Picture nominee at the Oscars.
I certainly think Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly deserve Best
Supporting nods.
If
you have seen the play, you will absolutely love the movie.
If you have not seen the play, you should still love it.
"Chicago" is the kind of film that causes you to leave
the theatre with a big smile on your face and the knowledge that
you did not waste your eight bucks on durge. All of the
performances are incredible, the directing is in classic
Broadway style, and the transition it a good one. Put this
one on your must see list for early 2003. You sure as hell
can't see if for cheaper on stage.
