Chicago (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
by Rob Marshall
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DVD details
Actor: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cliff Saunders, Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, Taye DiggsDirector: Rob Marshall
Brand: Chicago
Producer: Bob Weinstein
Producer: Craig Zadan
Producer: Don Carmody
Writer: Bill Condon
Writer: Bob Fosse
Writer: Fred Ebb
Writer: Maurine Dallas Watkins
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Hungarian (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-12-20
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Chicago (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: Too much razzle, not enough dazzle
Summary: 3 Stars
Just as Disney has been accused of smoothing over the darkness of the fairy tales it made into cartoons in the 40s, this movie smoothes over some of the noirishness and grit that I think were need to make the adaptation really work. The way they translated this to the screen is ingenious, but at the same time they sanitized it, giving it a neon, pop-movie, MTVish sensibility. There's lots of talk, both here and on the DVD supplements, about all the "grittiness." I don't see it. This film is--perhaps appropriately, since Disney owns Miramax--a Disneyland version of the 1920s. Yes, I know it's a musical and it's supposed to be "fun." But musicals can be dark, too.
I was also bothered by the excessive cutting during the dance sequences. It was here that I really missed the presence of Bob Fosse. The present director, Rob Marshall, doesn't have the same clear-headedness of The Master. Not only is there too much cross-cutting, the camera stays inexplicably on the floor, tracking past heads in the audience that partially-block the view and never soaring above the action. Watching the opening number, I could tell there was intricate staging but I couldn't really *see* all of it, since the camera was too close, too low, and cut away to pointless reaction shots too often. I'd thought filmmakers had learned their lesson on that one after The Cotton Club. (Or, to quote part of Stuart Klawans' review for The Nation: "[Rob Marshall] has shot it like one of those commercials for Broadway musicals, the ones that run on the late news in New York City. The purpose is to *tell* you that you're being entertained, by subjecting you to a gazillion quick, unmotivated cuts among ill-lit, slapdash setups--which is irritating enough during a thirty-second spot but unbearable as a movie." Right on, bro.) There *is* one brilliant show-stopper, "We Both Reached For The Gun," that has to be seen to be believed.
Renee Zelwegger, who always looks to me like she just got back from root canal, is okay, but here's a thought--how about considering Christina Aguilera? That might have brought an edge to things. Mrs. Michael Douglas is fine, and brings a nice voluptuousness to her role, but her accents tends to cut in and out. Richard Gere has the right charisma in the acting scenes, but he can't sing or dance, and his tap scene is well-covered to hide this fact. But the always-reliable John C. Reilly sure can, and is probably the most satisfying actor in this whole movie. Queen Latifah is, well, Queen Latifah--if they ever make "The Bessie Smith Story," she's a shoe-in. Christine Baranski is--as always--sly, sophisticated fun. Lucy Liu makes a surprise appearance in the sort of role you're not used to seeing her in, and she's little more than eye-candy, but that's enough for me.
The songs are cute and occasionally catchy, but never memorable or original and never deep. And that pretty much sums up the whole movie. It's pleasant for two hours but like the popcorn you're munching as you watch it, it won't stay with you. I can't help but think if Fosse had done it, it would be something more--while still being racy and raunchy and fun. Just look at how he handled All That Jazz to see the difference between that kind of coiled, almost neurotic energy and this kind of razzle-dazzle energy. It's obvious Marshall worked very hard on this film, but the result, while not "wrong" in any way, is kind of cookie-cutter bland, like a stroll down Disneyland's Main Street USA. I also had an issue with one part of the screenplay: namely, with the introduction of the Lucy Liu character we get the message that infamy is fleeting and everyone is willing to quickly move on to the next celebrity scandal. But this exact thing happens again in the story fifteen minutes later, and so it loses its impact the second time at a more crucial point in the story. I think, much as I enjoyed seeing the squirming, scantily-clad Liu, I would have cut that whole section and saved the "fleeting fame" motif for the end--it would have more punch that way. (My other production issue has to do with how some of the money seen in the film is period while other money is obviously modern-day cash. How can filmmakers make errors that big?) But perhaps the whole message of the show-biz aspects of celebrity trials is a bit old in this post-OJ age. I kept thinking during Richard Gere's song about the media circus that Johnnie Cochran had demonstrated it better.
The transfer to DVD is excellent, with some of the sharpest imaging I've ever seen. There are some supplements: the obligatory Making Of documentary where everybody gushes, extended dance scenes, some rehearsal footage, no trailer, a documentary about the director, which I didn't bother to watch, and a commentary from director and screenwriter. There are also extras involving Chita Rivera and Liza Minelli that are mildly entertaining. There's one deleted musical number, "Class," that's quite good, but didn't fit into the way they staged the movie.
Most people will probably like this a lot. It's harmless, brainless fun. I just think it was maybe a bit flat, and there was more there that went unexplored. Well-crafted, ambitious, but, after all the hype, a bit cautious and bland.
Description of Chicago (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
This Razzle-Dazzle Edition is the ultimate CHICAGO DVD Collection and features the award-winning motion picture and brand-new bonus material! Winner of six Academy Awards(R) (2002) including Best Picture, and starring Academy Award(R) nominee Renée Zellweger (Best Actress, CHICAGO), Academy Award(R) winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO), Academy Award(R) nominee Queen Latifah (Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO), Golden Globe winner Richard Gere (Best Actor, CHICAGO), and Academy Award(R) nominee John C. Reilly (Best Supporting Actor, CHICAGO) -- CHICAGO is a dazzling spectacle of unparalleled entertainment!Bob Fosse's sexy cynicism still shines in Chicago, a faithful movie adaptation of the choreographer-director's 1975 Broadway musical. Of course the story, all about merry murderesses and tabloid fame, is set in the Roaring '20s, but Chicago reeks of '70s disenchantment--this isn't just Fosse's material, it's his attitude, too. That's probably why the movie's breathless observations on fleeting fame and fickle public taste already seem dated. However, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are beautifully matched as Jazz Age vixens, and Richard Gere gleefully sheds his customary cool to belt out a showstopper. (Yes, they all do their own singing and dancing.) Whatever qualms musical purists may have about director Rob Marshall's cut-cut-cut style, the film's sheer exuberance is intoxicating. Given the scarcity of big-screen musicals in the last 25 years, that's a cause for singing, dancing, cheering. And all that jazz. --Robert Horton
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