The
smell of pancake syrup hangs in the air. It's the kind of atmosphere where
you could imagine anything coming out of the fog: whether monster or magical.
Pattering
of rain sounds like a tap dance, reminding me of Chicago, which
I watched yesterday. I'll offer my review.
Chicago
was a terrific musical and a great film, but I can't see it beating its
competition to win an Oscar for Best Picture. It's not the sort of movie
that the Oscar voters normally reward, especially when it's up against
an epic like Gangs of New York, made by Martin Scorsese, a respected
director who's long overdue for an Oscar.
But Chicago
has been nominated for more Oscars than any other film this year, so it's
likely to receive at least one, perhaps for Best Costumes, for the gaudy,
1920s style showgirl outfits. Or perhaps one for Best Set Design, for
the way ordinary sets like a courtroom are transformed into dance numbers.
The musical
follows Roxie Hart, who in the opening scenes shoots her lover. She's
sent to prison, to await trial. There, she meets the other women murderers,
including a Vaudeville star, Velma Kelly, who killed her sister and her
boyfriend.
Roxie longs
for a life on the stage, and she has a vivid fantasy life, where the ordinary
things around her turn into elaborate dance numbers, often counterpointing
what's really happening. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Velma Kelly; and Queen
Latifa plays Matron "Mama" Morton, the prison warden. Both are
nominated for Best Supporting Actress, while Zelwegger is nominated for
Best Actress.
While there
have been countless musicals about people in showbiz, Chicago turns
that tradition upside down. Here, murderers take the place of showgirls,
with newspaper clippings as eagerly sought as reviews.
Richard
Gere is Billy Flynn, a lawyer with questionable morals, who takes on the
cases of both Roxie and Velma. His two best numbers take place in the
courtroom: "Razzle Dazzle," a literal circus for the eyes; and
a tapdance, where he finagles his way out of a difficult situation.
Zeta-Jones
is smoking in "All That Jazz," the opening number. She's got
the sizzle of a real stage siren, but she gradually loses her smugness
as she defends her fame against newcomer Roxie's popularity. Through it
all, Zeta-Jones is compelling.
Zelwegger
as Roxie is a complicated character: at once naive and conniving, passionate
and gutless. Seduced by her 15 minutes of fame, she begins to believe
she's a real star, though she's never performed on stage.
Although
he has a small part, John C. Reilly turns in a solid performance as Amos
Hart, Roxie's goodhearted and easily fooled husband. His outstanding moment
is singing "Mr. Cellophane," as a Vaudevillian, doing a soft-shoe
and getting down on his knees, throwing up his arms like Al Jolson.
Some have
criticized the fact that Chicago plays around with tabloid fame
without allowing any real sympathy for the characters. I would disagree:
while a viewer may not sympathize with Roxie, they feel pity towards her,
as she gets caught up in her delusions.
I much prefer
the up-front playfulness and wit of Chicago to the trumped up sentimentality
of Moulin Rouge, which broke ground for a big screen musical revival.
Taking Billy Flynn's advice, Moulin Rouge razzle-dazzled the audience
with flashy musical numbers while serving up a typical "boy meets
girl, boy loses girl" scenario. Yes, it tugged the heart in all the
right places, but the viewer is constantly aware of being manipulated.
Chicago
is "lawyer meets girl," and the relationship stays at a lawyer-client
level which, I think, is refreshing. The audience is manipulated at times,
it's true, but the audience is also constantly in on the joke. It's an
extravaganza, a circus for the eyes, and at the same time, makes some
striking statements about media attention, the entertainment business,
and the hunger for fame.
Moral:
Flash and dazzle are sometimes just what you need on a gray weekend.
Copyright
2003 by Alyce Wilson
Musings
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