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*** Official "CHICAGO" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

Edwin Pereyra

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This will be a Best Picture nominee and the odds-on favorite to win. Easily.
Based on the crowd reaction, I would have to agree with Mark on this. I haven't seen older audience members get so pumped up after seeing a film. In Chicago they did. Much like the same reaction for My Big Fat Greek Wedding but a lot more enthusiasm after it was all over.
~Edwin
 

Scott Weinberg

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Loved this movie.
Hopefully it will make a lot of cash and help foster the Musical Resurgence initially prompted by my (and Vickie's) beloved MR.
I can see why many people are comparing the two: scarcity. We get so few Big Musicals that comparisons to last year's (rather memorable) offerings seem inevitable. Regardless, these films couldn't be more dissimilar.
If you hated MR, don't let that keep you away from Chicago; conversely, those who loved Luhrman's film may find themselves left cold. Other than their genre, these flicks are apples and oranges.
And I love 'em both.
I didn't expect to, but I dug this one so much it made the top half of my Top Ten! There's just a whole lot to like in this movie, not the least of which are the performances of Reilly, Latifah, and a GREAT little turn by Colm Feore.
I look forward to seeing this one again on the big screen, and I sincerely hope that those who grew up on the old-time musicals (say, people my mother's age :D ) find this one appealing.
(I am in no way affiliated with Miramax Inc.)
 

Michael Martin

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OK, a few people have said they hated Moulin Rouge but loved Chicago...
I'm in the opposite boat. I normally HATE movie musicals, but loved MR. Now, having said that, can anyone hazard a guess on whether someone who normally dislikes musicals would be able to dig Chicago? Zeta-Jones is certainly a draw
htf_images_smilies_yum.gif
but I'm neutral on Zellweger, and usually really dislike Gere.
Other than MR, the only other movie musical I enjoy that comes to mind quickly is Grease,and that is as much from really liking it as from sentimentality from seeing it so long ago.
Would you recommend Chicago to a movie geek who normally avoids musicals (and Richard Gere!)?
 

LennyP

Supporting Actor
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Jun 20, 2002
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chiCago that I just saw tonight, was amazing. Musicals are rare, good musicals even more so, therefore comparisons to Moulin Rouge are made. But while that was a little too wushy-gushy lovey sweet, Chicago is more about greed, spotlight, corruption, and murder, my kind of things.
The movie is exceptional, it's just guaranteed everyone will like it, unless you're a crazed believer who thinks movies are a work of the devil and especially one that glamourizes violence and murder inflicted by women on their lovers, adultery and sexuality...
I've also had the pleasure of having a great audience, went to my fav theater in a good, rich part of town. Everyone aplauded after every song/number during the movie, and it was as close to being at a real play/musical as it could get.
I've never seen so many stay to watch the end credits either, occasionally clapping to some of them, especially a note closer to the end that looked something like:
"Richard Gere songs were sung and performed by Richard Gere.
Catherine Zeta-Jones songs were sung and performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones..." etc. :clap:
One note, that Zeta-Jones got at least twice the applause that Renee Zellweger got, even though she's not as prominent in the film.
Best 3 numbers were all done by Richard Gere, I really really enjoyed those parts, he's a personification of the movie and the story, he's as sleazy as they come, just awesome! :notworthy
I feel that it's a real must see movie, and will appeal to anyone, unlike some others that require a particular taste and appreciation ;)
 

Edwin Pereyra

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Would you recommend Chicago to a movie geek who normally avoids musicals (and Richard Gere!)?
Chicago is a musical in the strictest definition of that word. The two films you talk about, Grease and Moulin Rouge has a running storyline where the characters suddenly break out to a song and dance.
With Chicago, most of its musical numbers are performed on stage in a fully realized and well done flip-flop from its running storyline to its staged production numbers. For a non-musical lover, you might have a problem with this sort of thing. But then a gain, you may not.
As for Richard Gere, he sings and dances in a few musical numbers. You will either accept him or not but the ones he's in are a hoot.
Chicago also currently sits on the upper half of my Top 10 films for the year.
~Edwin
 

Edwin Pereyra

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Catherine Zeta-Jones began her career on stage so her performance here shouldn't be a surprise. Renee Zellweger's character is supposed to be lesser talented than that of Jones (Velma). As such, it is only appropriate that Jones' musical numbers are more well-received than that of Zellweger.

Having not seen the stage version and for what its worth, few audience members at my screening commented that the film version is better than the Broadway one.

~Edwin
 

PatrickL

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Having not seen the stage version and for what its worth, few audience members at my screening commented that the film version is better than the Broadway one.
That said, the film is fantastic and the most pure fun I've had at the movies in years. How often does Hollywood adapt a Broadway musical and get it right? Just shy of never. This one is a rare exception.
 

Kirk Tsai

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Elvis Mitchell begins his review in the NY Times this way:

"It's rare to find a picture as exuberant, as shallow — and as exuberant about its shallowness — as the film adaptation of the Broadway musical 'Chicago.'"

I feel exactly the same way, yet I do not share his enthusiasm. Here is a movie doing exactly what Gere's character is doing: razzle-dazzle with no substance. The musical numbers pile on top of each other, building no excitement; it's all very numbing. None of the characters gained any sympathy from me, and the supposed cynicism really offers little to be cynical about. It's all very superficial. I don't fault the musical conventions that this film follows, but it's also less interesting than the styles that Moulin Rouge, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Dancer in the Dark presented. They had real feelings, Chicago seldom did.

BTW, without having seen The Hours yet, can we get John C. Reily out of the good-hearted but naive husband roles?
 

Kenneth_C

Second Unit
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Nov 6, 2001
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I saw Chicago on New Year's Day. I approached it with some skepticism, since I was a big fan of the recent Broadway version (which I saw with Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwith). I always thought it would be a very difficult musical to translate to film, as the musical numbers exist "outside" the book and are not integrated in the traditional musical sense (i.e. characters don't suddenly burst into song in the middle of a scene). Also, I was unsure about the film's casting.
Well, count me amongst those who think this is one fantastic flick!
It took me a couple of numbers to get onto the film's wavelength -- mostly because there were a few too many references to other Fosse musicals (especially Cabaret) -- but starting with "Cellblock Tango", it really started to click with me.
From that point on, the film had me. Song after song appeared with immense creativity, flare, and energy. Applauding at a movie has always seemed fairly ridiculous to me, but the urge to do so at Chicago was almost too much to bear.
Credit must go to director Rob Marshall, screenwriter Bill Condon, and anyone else involved in solving the "problem" of making the numbers work in the context of the film. Keeping them confined to a stage (a la Cabaret) as projections of Roxie's fantasies (a la All That Jazz) was a brilliant strategy -- and a nice homage to Bob Fosse, too.
As for the casting: Who woulda thunk it? Kudos to all of them. Though they softened the character of Roxie early on, Renee Zellweger really captured the cynicism of the character's later stages. For everyone concerned about Gere, rest asssured that the smarminess of his screen persona is perfect for the role of Billy Flynn. John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, and Christine Baranski are also terrific. But it is Catherine Zeta-Jones who pretty much steals the movie as Velma (like Chita Rivera and Bebe Neuwith before her). She just rules the screen whenever she is on it.
A final note: I saw it in Century City (L.A.), and, if there were any Academy members in the audience, Chicago just might be the film to beat for this year's awards. The theater was packed, the reception tremendous, and most of the audience stayed throughout the closing credits (which is very rare nowadays). After all, Moulin Rouge won 2 of its 8 nominated awards last year, and I suspect that Chicago will prove to be less weird and more to the Academy's liking.
Can't wait to see it again!
 

DaveBB

Supporting Actor
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May 24, 1999
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Great film. I'm not a fan of musicals or Richard Gere, but this was easily the most entertaining film of the year.

BTW, could somebody please get Renee Zellweger a cookie? She's heading straight for the same neighborhood that Lara Flynn Boyle and Callista Flockhart reside in.
 

Vickie_M

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I saw this last night and had a great time! I wanted to see it again right away. My hubby's away on a business trip and I think I'll take him when he gets back. He used to do sound for traveling road shows and almost did Chicago, but ended up doing ...Making Whoopie(? I think), so he's familiar with the play. I think he'll enjoy it. (He loves MR as much as I do).
I had never seen the play and knew absolutely nothing about the story or songs beyond what was in the movie trailers. It was a lot of fun and had me grinning throughout. I especially loved the bit (you'll have to forgive my unfamiliarity with song titles) where Roxie and the reporters were puppets. Good stuff!
I'LL said:
It's interesting. At the same theater, yesterday also, I saw The Pianist. Since I'm almost always the only one who stays for credits (my husband too when we're together), I was shocked when the lights came up and I got up and turned around (I sit near the very front) and the whole theater was still there! The end credits are done in such a way that you want to be alert and stay for the entire thing. You don't want to take your eyes off the screen at any point. You don't want to blink! It's amazing.
 

Chris Farmer

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I loved Chicago. Best movie ever? Nah, but I'll say this, it's the most good old fashioned fun I've had at a movie in a long time. I saw the play a few years ago, and enjoyed it, but wasn't just enamored (it wasn't a particularly good cast). The movie on the other hand had me hooked form start to finish. The movie was just a blast to watch.
 

Michael*K

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Saw this movie tonight and I loved it. I've seen the stage version a handful of times on Broadway and its touring version, so I knew the story in advance. I was a bit disappointed in the songs that were ommitted, but I hope to see them on the DVD. Catherine Zeta-Jones: Loved her sexy performance. So nice to see her in something outside of those goofy T-Mobile commercials. Renee Zellweger: I was stunned. I don't know if she had a background in music or dance, but she pulled off Roxie with gusto. Richard Gere: I was afraid he'd stink up the picture but was pleasantly surprised. Though he doesn't have a great voice, he was able to carry his part when needed.
Chita Rivera played Velma Kelly in the show's original incarnation on Broadway. Did anyone catch her in her cameo in the film? She's the first woman Roxie meets at the prison who "educates" her about Mama Morton. Too bad they couldn't find a cameo for Jerry Orbach (played Billy Flynn in the original B'way version; Gwen Verson who played Roxie Hart in that show passed away in 2000 and was acknowledged in a dedication at the end of the film.)
So what's the next stage musical scheduled for the big screen? I know Phantom of the Opera has been rumored for years, but nothing has ever been done. I think a big screen musical version of Les Miserables would be sweet.
 

LennyP

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Chita Rivera played Velma Kelly in the show's original incarnation on Broadway. Did anyone catch her in her cameo in the film? She's the first woman Roxie meets at the prison who "educates" her about Mama Morton.
The first time I watched it, on second day of release, almost everyone in the theater laughed and clapped upon seeing her, I didn't get it as I never saw the musical.
 

PatrickL

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So what's the next stage musical scheduled for the big screen? I know Phantom of the Opera has been rumored for years, but nothing has ever been done. I think a big screen musical version of Les Miserables would be sweet.
*If* Chicago is successful enough to inspire more film musicals, why do I think that Hollywood will snap up all the wrong ones? You'll have to ask someone else about Phantom - I could not stand it on stage, I never understood its popularity and there's nothing *fun* about it to me. Mirimax has the rights to Rent, and their latest attempt to get it made had Spike Lee going as far as audiotioning people, but doesn't that one already feel dated? A film version smells like another "Hair" to me - too late to have any vitality. Les Miserables I liked much more, but it's such a creation for the stage that I have little faith that it is adaptable to film.

The one they really ought to adapt is Dreamgirls...the names have been changed but it's covertly about prepping the Supremes for mass marketability. That one has snap, humor and strong themes, and probably would connect with moviegoers.

But to answer your question, the two projects I hear about as probable are a screen version of the dance piece "Contact," and a remake of "Guys and Dolls" that Nicole Kidman is supposedly behind, to co-star Vin Diesel.

And that's not to mention the original musicals, written for film, that may or may not be happening. P.T. Anderson is supposedly writing one (according to an interview with John Reilly I read recently) and the Coens have one in the works as well.
 

Seth Paxton

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I would think that I was the only one who was sincerely impressed by Gere, singing, dancing and all, except that after the film my fiancee turned to me and said "I liked Gere's parts the best".
This is not to say that he sings or dances better than the girls, but that he has 2 of the finest scenes and delivers them exceptionally well (loved the puppet scene, my fav of the film followed by the great All That Jazz opener from Jones)
I've often felt that Gere was on the verge of being great if only...especially after his early effort in Officer and a Gentlemen. I even thought he was one of the stronger aspects of Unfaithful, though no one else was mentioning him at all.
Anyway, to me, Chicago is for Gere what Pulp Fiction was for Travolta. A vehicle that allows a great "star" to again shine as a great performer. Will he ride out the success better than Travolta, worse, who knows? I for one dread him bringing his own Battlefield Earth to screen at least, so I'm pulling for him to do better off the success of Chicago. ;)
 

Michael*K

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I agree that the whole marionette sequence in "We Both Reached For the Gun" was a masterstroke and is my favorite part of the film. I read somewhere that there was an extended sequence of that scene that will be included on the DVD.

As for folks that think that plays and musicals are only for the well-to-do, you should know that it's always been a policy for the musical Chicago that all tickets for the front row (both Broadway and tour) are always held until the day of performance and are sold for only $20. And there are several other large and small shows produced that do the same thing. I think even the average Joe can afford $20. Heck, trip to a movie and some items from the concession stand can easily set me back 20 bucks.
 

PatrickL

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Seth it's funny you mention John Travolta; you may not know that he was pursued for the role Gere plays but turned it down, reportedly. Kevin Spacey and Hugh Jackman were also on the shortlist before they went with Gere.

I have to admit that during Gere's first number I was wishing they had gone with someone else - namely Jackman, who has recent musical theatre experience and is strong in all departments. But Gere won me over for two reasons - first he's perfect for the character. The smug and vain qualities he seems to usually project on film actually work to his great advantage here. And second it's such a kick and a surprise to see him having such a good time and reaching beyond his usual that it's contagious. Even if you don't want to like him, it's hard not to in this. (Just for the record, he has Broadway and West End experience also; he was Danny in Grease when he was a teenager)

the whole marionette sequence in "We Both Reached For the Gun" was a masterstroke
My favorite number in the movie is either that or "Cell Block Tango" which I thought was completely captivating the way Marshall staged and filmed it.
 

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