I'm with sundog on pretty much everything he said. And also with Suprmallet, it was just boring. I mean why make a Broadway play on film if you're not going to expand the sets into something more extravagant. It takes away the point of putting it to film when the musical #s are in the same 3 or 4 sets and the whole movie is based in those areas too. Not that I'm saying its a bad thing (i.e. Glengarry Glen Ross (about 2 total sets)) but it just seemed very cramped. Also the musical #s did get repetitive and out of the few musicals I've seen and enjoyed (Singin' in the Rain, An American in Paris, Everyone Says I Love You, and Moulin Rouge) I did not feel that way, and it extended the running time of the film, making it feel even longer then Gangs of NY or TTT. But that's just my opinion, but that's what made me, as I walked in there with low expectations, I walked out still disappointed.

Just an FYI...

The soundtrack came out today. Bought it this morning at Kmart and had them price match with Best Buy. $11.99.

The soundtrack is fantastic. I loved the movie and the soundtrack has been playing in my room nonstop since Yesterday.

On my second viewing of the film it only got better. One of the best movie musicals I've seen in a long time. Thank you Moulin Rouge, without you, none of this would have been possible.

I look forward to see how Chicago fares in the awards race, I think it should do great. I thought the film was paced very well, filled with great dialogue, songs and performances... Anyone who hasn't seen CHICAGO should go see it right now! (or jan. 24 when it goes wider)...

MATT

While I didn't buy the soundtrack, I copied the songs I liked from my friend's copy of it, and while I think some of the songs need the visual component, some are just amazing. Catherine Zeta-Jones' voice on "All That Jazz" is stunning.

Also, it's a crime that "Class" wasn't in the movie. They could have gotten rid of a more useless number like "Funny Honey" if they had used "Class." I don't care that it didn't fit with the conceit of the rest of the movie, it's just a great number.

Totally agree

It's been playing here at work for the last few days...and a bunch of my co-workers are singing along at times. Seems like my whole office is swept away by the movie. We're all ending up having competitions as to who can see it the most number of times.

I'm probably going for the 5th time tomorrow. I absolutely cannot wait. I took one of my co-workers last friday and she ended up seeing it for the second time that same weekend.

I'm really happy with the great reaction it's getting from everyone i know.

Just watched it again, and I like some numbers more (like "Funny Honey" and "Cell Block Tango"), but others less (Richard Gere's first song is the closest the movie gets to downright terrible, and "When You're Good To Mama" is less fun). But overall, I had more fun than the first time I saw it. Catherine Zeta-Jones is absolutely incredible.

I guess I'm one of the few (surprise!) that didn't quite enjoy the performance as much as many here have.

I thought Richard Gere's singing voice was either mixed too low, or just doesn't have the pipes to do the material justice. But on the acting side, he was good in the role of smarmy lawyer.

I wasn't blown away by CZJ's voice or dancing, and when compared to the other dancers, she was lagging behind them in the dance department.

Renee Zellwegger had a better voice than I thought she would given how she normally sounds, and I found her to be the better of the dancers between her and CZJ.

I did like John C. Reilly's solo, he had a nice voice for that song. Queen Latifah's solo didn't quite do it for me, I just don't think she sold the song as well as someone else could have.

The film as a whole was okay, it didn't really grab my full attention and make me sit up and take notice. The number I did like a lot was the one after CZJ's "All the Jazz" number at the beginning of the film (when the women were explaining why they were in jail).


I'd give it 2.75 stars or a grade of B-.

Its been two weeks since I saw this for the second time....and I just bought the cd and I am really glad I did because I forgot how sexy Zeta-Jones voice is. I hope it will win the golden globe best picture tomorrow.

Speaking of the Golden Globes, I just read an article saying that Chicago is the frontrunner for best comedy/musical, while Richard Gere and Renee Zellweger look like they'll win for best actor and actress in a comedy/musical. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Would anyone in their right mind vote for Richard Gere over Nicolas Cage's performance in Adaptation? Gere was okay, but he was workmanlike at best. I'd vote for just about anyone else in that category, but Nicolas Cage most especially. And Zellweger was completely upstaged by Catherine Zeta-Jones, I don't know why people don't think SHE'LL win.

I would. But then again, many people tell me all the time I'm not in my right mind. But seriously, I really enjoyed Gere in Chicago and just think Adaptation, and Cage's performance in it, is vastly overrated, especially around here.

Well, apparently the Hollywood Foreign Press agrees with you. But since there are no comedy/drama/musical distinctions at the oscars, I don't think either really have a chance, going against Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson. Still, if any performance is vastly overrated around here, it surely is Richard Gere's.

JUST FYI...

They're having a test screening in NYC in Chelsea on Wednesday of the "Chicago Sing A Long." It's a private Miramax sponsored event and they're encouraging everyone to dress up and sing! It's at 7:30 and by invitation only.

I didn't like it either, and I can see why everyone like it. A very well made movie that I don't enjoy, could this be the beginning of the end?

Soo.. they are going to try to Rocky horror it?

I guess...although I wouldn't say that that is necessarily the best way to put it. I know they did Evita in London a while back. And they had the Sound of Music here in NYC as well. I'm SURE there were other movie musicals they've done this to but I don't think it would ever reach Rocky Horror proportions. RH is just too shticky.

Yeah, it seems that studios (particularly Disney) have been pushing this sing-a-long stuff for the last several years. Disney put out sing-a-long versions Evita, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins. I think it's a f**kin' stupid idea. Audience participation is lame, and these films deserve proper rereleases, not ugly versions mared with subtitles that were never supposed to be there and a theater full of morons singing along. I don't think anyone actually goes to these things anyways. I just think studios "wish" it would catch on.

I just saw Chicago for the first time last night. I've seen the play on Broadway, and I think it was a solid translation of the play to the screen.

That being said, I wasn't blown away by the performances or songs as I've read many of you were. I can't really agree that CZJ was really that amazing--it seems like people are blown away simply because she is very beautiful and sexy (something which doesn't require much effort in her case) and shows some good vocal and dance skills that most didn't know she had. I guess what I mean to say is that I don't think her performance was any better or worse than the Velma Kelly I saw on Broadway, and thus not particularly enthralling.

I liked the music and style of both, but I felt the same way about the shallow characters and empty plot that I did when I left the play a couple years ago.

Don't get me wrong, I was entertained, and everyone did a good job in their roles, but I don't see how Chicago would be Best Picture worthy nor do I see how any of its performers deserve an acting oscar. I do think the film is well directed and filmed, and is worthy of nominations and awards in those categories.

Just got around to seeing this finally and really enjoyed it. Not the "BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR" in my mind but more entertaining than I expected. I liked how the musical scenes were actually fantasies within Roxie's head, and the entire tabloid mania satire played very well. Enjoyably amoral cast and story, really. Very good performances by everyone, Richard Gere included. Would I have nominated it for 13 Oscars? Well, no - Latifah and Zeta-Jones were very good but not as good as Zellwegger and Gere, who really stole the movie for me - but then it's all subjective anyway. I still give "Moulin Rouge" the edge as my favorite recent musical (Nicole Kidman ) but "Chicago" left a grin on my face for much of the movie. A fun picture, and it's great to see musicals returning.

you have to remember though that billy flynn is over-the-top, cheesy and an exaggerrated charater! i didnt like the first number either but i think he *redemed* himself with the courtroom tapdance! that was great.

Nothing in this film adapation of the musical resonated with me. It gave me no food for thought afterwards. I can't support it as "Best Picture" for this deficiency.

*nudge*

Excuse me...

Would you happen to be dead inside?

j/k

Well, I caught a screening of William Wellman's 1942 film Roxie Hart, that being an adaptation of Maurine Watkins' 1927 play Chicago.

And not surprisingly, it's just as skimpy on characterization as the current version in theaters. Ginger Rogers just goes over the top in her performance as Roxie, (besting Zellweger's blandness) and the rest of the film giddily follows her lead. This is much more absurdist, with some wonderfully goofy scenes that give the satire a bite sadly missing in the new film (including a "cat" fight complete with meows). Adolphe Menjou as Billy Flynn oozes with smarminess. This is not a musical, so Rogers dances in only two scenes in the jail (a jazz number with the reporters and a small tap-dance up the stairs to her cell). The role of Velma is especially truncated down to one early scene.

Overall, Roxie Hart falls apart a bit in the end. The dialogue doesn't have the punch of the Howard Hawks films it's obviously trying to emulate. And Rogers' performance grinds on you in some spots (which she makes up for with her energy). But it has quite a few great individual scenes that keep the pace up and, as stated above, sharpens the satire.

Everybody forgets "Evita" -- Golden Globe winner for best picture

Saw it last night and I loved it. I've never heard/seen/read anything about the Broadway play so I was what you would call a "virgin" going in. I was hooked from "Funny Honey".

I was also watching VH1's Behind the Movie right before and I'm amazed at all the work the crew put into this. Great stuff. I'd have loved to ice CZJ's inner thighs during rehearsals.

Well, some of us were actually trying to.