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Chicago

Catherine Zeta-Jones Actor , Renée Zellweger Actor , Richard Gere Actor , Queen Latifah Actor , John C. Reilly Actor

MPAA Rating: PG13
Contains:Mild Violence,Adult Situations,Questionable for Children,Adult Language,Sexual Situations

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Chicago

Theatrical Release Date: 2002 12 27 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 786936227956

Studio: Miramax

MPAA Rating: PG13 Contains:[Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations]

Summary: A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" can go in this screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago, originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. In the mid-'20s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a small-time chorus dancer married to a well-meaning dunderhead named Amos (John C. Reilly). Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley (Dominic West), a smooth talker who insists he can make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far for his own good, and when she realizes that his promises are empty, she becomes enraged and murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy vaudeville star who used to perform with her sister until Velma discovered that her sister had been sleeping with her husband. Velma shot them both dead, and, after scheming prison matron "Mama" Morton hooks Velma up with hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Velma becomes the new Queen of the scandal sheets. Roxie is just shrewd enough to realize that her poor fortune could also bring her fame, so she convinces Amos to also hire Flynn. Soon Flynn is splashing Roxie's story -- or, more accurately, a highly melodramatic revision of Roxie's story -- all over the gutter press, and Roxy and Velma are soon battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. A project that had been moving from studio to studio since the musical opened on Broadway in 1973, Chicago also features guest appearances by Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Musical

Awards: Top Ten Movie of the Year – American Film Institute Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Acting Ensemble – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – null Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – null Best Supporting Actress – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Director – null Best Screenplay – null Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Adapted Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Directorial Debut – National Board of Review Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Acting – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Musical or Comedy – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Deleted musical number "Class" performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones & Queen Latifah
Behind-the-scenes special
Director & screenwriter feature commentary
French-language track
Spanish subtitles
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Fullscreen (1.33:1)

Chicago

Format: DVD

Release Date: 08/19/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Digital Theater Systems

Runtime: 113 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. And All That Jazz [7:04]
2. Killing Fred Casely [3:55]
3. Funny Honey [5:51]
4. When You're Good to Mama [6:07]
5. Cell Block Tango [7:40]
6. All I Care About [8:36]
7. Sweetest Little Jazz Killer [5:49]
8. We Both Reached for the Gun [5:46]
9. Roxie [6:44]
10. I Can't Do It Alone [6:10]
11. Got to Hell Kitty [5:39]
12. Mister Cellophane [4:48]
13. Flash in the Pan [:01]
14. Razzle Dazzle [3:46]
15. Velma Takes the Stand [6:30]
16. A Tap Dance [5:52]
17. The Verdict [3:06]
18. Nowadays [3:32]
19. Hot Honey Rag [4:22]
20. End Credits [4:05]

Derek Armstrong

If Moulin Rouge heralded the triumphant return of the movie musical, Rob Marshall's rhapsodic rendition of Chicago takes that tendency a welcome two-step further. Using the best capabilities of both stage and screen, Marshall mounts a rousing cinematic achievement that may trump Baz Luhrmann's -- he's filmed a conventionally structured musical that needs no tricks, only its own tight mechanics, to reach across generations of moviegoers. A Broadway chestnut written in the 1970s about the 1920s may not seem ripe with 21st century relevance, but an astonishing cast of performers breathes new excitement into the lyrics and music of John Kander and Fred Ebb and the swagger of playwright/choreographer Bob Fosse. And in Chicago, "performer" is no term of backhanded praise. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere sing every impressive note and cut every impressive groove across each dance floor, their heretofore unknown talents prompting bouts of surprised applause throughout the audience. That they deliver award-worthy acting on top of it is a bonus. But Chicago is as much a triumph of editing as any other attribute. The production numbers run steadily throughout, so Marshall deftly weaves expository passages into the score's quieter moments, the lyrics and images offering a perfect symbiosis of storytelling methods. Martin Walsh's editing also gets its own chance at center stage, notably during the thrilling sequence in which Gere's climactic courtroom speech alternates with footage of the actor engaged in a rapid-fire tap dance. That Chicago also functions as a familiar but juicy indictment of the bloodthirsty media and its fickle readership...well, it leaves a reviewer about as breathless as Zeta-Jones after a spirited romp across the set. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi