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PCR # 146  (Vol. 4, No. 2)  This edition is for the week of January 6--12, 2003.

This Week's PCR
Movie Review
"Chicago"

Movie review by:
Michael A. Smith
Four Stars!

Movies are rated 0 to 4 stars

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Miramax Films    
Starring:
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour 53 mins

Ah, Broadway! Many of the finest actors and directors have made their way to Hollywood via the Great White Way! Two such directors teamed up for the recent revival of "Cabaret." The first, Sam Mendes, won an Oscar for directing his first film, "American Beauty," and represented himself well with this years' "The Road to Perdition." The second, Rob Marshall, took a small detour to television, where he directed the outstanding version of "Annie." Now, with his first feature film under his belt, Marshall may join his friend Mendes in Oscar's club thanks to his work on "Chicago."

The story is very simple. Famous headliner Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and disillusioned headliner wannabe Roxie Hart (Zellweger) both find themselves in the Chicago City jail after they shoot and kill their respective lovers. At first in awe of Velma, Roxie begins to see through the stars facade. With the help of head matron "Mom" (Queen Latifah), Roxie hires top lawyer Billy Flynn (Gere) to defend her. As the film progresses, the characters sing and dance their way through their stories.

While the storyline itself is entertaining, it is the musical numbers that amaze! Marshall tells his musical story in a way that is very similar to Bob Fosse's "All That Jazz." Though part of the film, they seem to be little vignettes that pop up unexpectedly to tell a story. Incidentally, Fosse directed "Chicago" during it's initial run in 1975.

The cast is outstanding. Zellweger, who gained much weight and adopted an English accent for her Oscar nominated turn in last years' "Bridget Jones Diary," is a revelation as Roxie. Zeta-Jones also surprises with her strong voice. But the biggest surprise, at least to everyone in the theatre when I saw this film, is Gere. As I mentioned in my Holiday Season preview, Gere played Danny Zuko in the London production of "Grease" almost 30 years ago. So he's got the chops. But even I was not prepared for the quality of his voice. And his solo dance number (being a lawyer, he needs to know how to tap dance) ranks up there with Christopher Walken in "Pennies From Heaven." Marshall has even cast well known Broadway performers such as Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs and the original Velma herself, Chita Rivera, in small but important roles.

I prefaced my choice of "Gangs of New York" as top film of last year by stating that I had not yet seen several films not yet released, including "Chicago." This being 2003, let me say that "Chicago" is easily one of the best films I will see THIS year! On a scale of zero to four stars, I give "Chicago"  Four Stars!


This week's movie reviews of "Chicago" is ©2003 by Michael A. Smith.   All graphics this page are creations of Nolan B. Canova, ©2003, all rights reserved. All contents of "Nolan's Pop Culture Review" are ©2003 by Nolan B. Canova.