My 150 Favorite Movies - #51

Chicago (2002)

The first musical to win the Best Picture Oscar since Oliver! in 1969, Chicago is based on the famed Broadway musical of 1975, which in turn was based on a non-musical play first produced in 1926. The story had also been filmed before, as Roxie Hart, starring Ginger Rogers. The story takes place in 1920's Chicago, as two murderesses find themselves in jail together, and fight to hang on to fame, and hopefully, their lives.The cast of Chicago is universally excellent, with Richard Gere as smooth-talking attorney Billy Flynn, Renee Zellweger as Roxie, John C. Reilly as her hapless husband, Queen Latifah as corrupt prison matron, "Mama" Morton, and by far, the real standout, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, who went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The score, by John Kander and Fred Ebb, has a number of outstanding songs, particularly All That Jazz, famously originally choreographed by Bob Fosse, and later used as the title of his biopic. Innovative, energetic and effervescent, Chicago is well worth watching on any screen, big and small, that you are lucky enough to catch it on.