This film wasn't half bad. I mean, yes, most of the main characters are murderers and have few redeeming qualities, but the film still managed to be enjoyable.
Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) kills her lover because he's a lying asshole and ends up in jail and manages to great, slimy attorney, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere, who knew that he could sing and dance so well?). But fame is a fickle and Roxie needs to be the center of attention, her name needs to be splashed on the cover of every newspaper in Chicago and when it no longer is, she invents a crazy lie.
Naturally, she gets away with her crime but just as she gets off, another female kills, leaving Roxie in the dust. Despite her misgivings, she teams up with fellow murderess, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and they become famous, despite their sordid past. So, they both get what they want: fame and money.
For the most part, the film moves briskly, mixing the traditional stage performances with the plot and except for the first number, crudely interrupted by Roxie's lovemaking scene, it works well. Sure, it's bizarre and most of the costumes are not appropriate for 1920s Chicago, but you just kind of need to go with it. And while the glitz and glam is the film's shiny cover, there is heart, fake heart, but heart nevertheless underneath everything. The songs and choreography are great and the performances are memorable and while I don't feel this film deserved to win Best Picture at the Oscars, it is a film that I will watch again anyway. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Queen Latifah is pretty good at the prison matron who takes bribes.
-John C. Reilly (who knew that he could sing?) is Amos Hart, Roxie's kind but dim-witted and gullible human.
-Roxie faked a pregnancy to stay relevant, that is not okay.
-While I'm against murder (who isn't), most of the dead men were truly jerks.
-There are also small roles for Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski.
No comments:
Post a Comment