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Chicago
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Photos (see all 102 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
Chicago (2002) -- Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together)and Roxie Hart (Who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and
Chicago (2002) -- Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together)and Roxie Hart (Who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   75,607 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Rob Marshall
Writers (WGA):
Bill Condon (screenplay)
Bob Fosse (book) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Chicago on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 January 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Musical more
Tagline:
With the right song and dance, you can get away with murder. more
Plot:
Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 6 Oscars. Another 34 wins & 54 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(212 articles)
Queen Latifah Reveals Past As Sexual Abuse Victim
 (From WENN. 10 June 2009, 9:10 AM, PDT)

Jackman Plans Carousel Trip With Oscars Partner Hathaway
 (From WENN. 1 May 2009, 6:35 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Charged, exhilarating, a treat and a surprise. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Chicago (Germany)
Chicago: The Musical (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue, violence and thematic elements.
Runtime:
113 min | Turkey:80 min (TV version)
Country:
USA | Germany
Language:
English | Hungarian
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
USA:PG-13 (certificate #39516) | Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | South Korea:15 | France:U | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG (cut) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2003) | Greece:K-13
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA more
Company:
Miramax Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Renée Zellweger had no singing or dancing training prior to this film. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Roxie is dancing with a group of men in the "Roxie Hart" number she walks forward surrounded by men then the camera switches angles and the man on her right is suddenly on her left. more
Quotes:
Roxie: It'll never work.
Velma Kelly: Why not?
Roxie: Because I hate you.
Velma Kelly: There's only one business where that's no problem at all.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs (2004) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Me and My Baby more

FAQ

Was Roxie really pregnant?
Was Queen Latifah's character (Mama Morton) a lesbian?
more
64 out of 110 people found the following comment useful:-
Charged, exhilarating, a treat and a surprise., 8 December 2002
10/10
Author: sw-12 from Venice, CA

I thoroughly enjoyed the current Broadway stage revival of Chicago -- the Kander and Ebb original, with Bob Fosse choreography, opened in 1975, starring Gwen Verdon (Roxie), Chita Rivera (Velma) and Jerry Orbach (Billy), all proven musical theatre talents. I saw the revival fairly early in its current run, starring Ann Reinking (Roxie), Bebe Neuwirth (Velma) and James Naughton (Billy), who are all proven in musical theatre as well.

The casting of this new film adaptation had me wondering -- Renee Zellwegger (Roxie), Catherine Zeta Jones (Velma) and Richard Gere (Billy)? Sure, they can act, but can they sing and dance?

Big time. The strength of their performances alone is almost enough to carry the film. Whether the stars come by these moves and voices easily, or were rehearsed within an inch of their lives, it's clear they come by them naturally -- they each perform their own songs, and the dance moves are both fluid and stylistically true to the Fosse choreography. Attention to choreographic integrity in this film is to be expected: director Rob Marshall is a choreographer by trade. The sizzling staging of Velma's and Roxie's "Finale" is practically a Fosse quotation from beginning to end, and is razzle-dazzling beyond the stage version, via the cinematography and editing techniques that only the film medium provides.

I was prepared for a watered-down Hollywood take on the wildly popular, 6 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival, but sans the stage talents that got it there. But I actually liked the film BETTER. The film's screenplay adaptation, by Bill Condon, fleshes out the narrative to allow an emotional connection to the characters in a way that I didn't experience in the theater. The film integrates the songs to the story by cutting between an electrifying staged rendition and the 1920's Chicago world of the narrative. This technique gives the characters space for an inner emotional life thus letting the audience better connect with them.

I did have a few quibbles. The song "Class", a personal favorite, was cut, likely to keep the momentum up as we rush toward Roxie's sensational jury trial, which delivers several musical treats of its own, and is the dramatic apogee of the story. And, while I found John C. Reilly a most pathetic but sympathetic Amos, I felt that Joel Grey evoked those qualities much more effectively in his Broadway rendition of "Mr. Cellophane."

The story, while providing an opportunity for some juicy songs and sharply funny characters, is more than just eye candy. Its portrayal of cynical manipulation of the criminal justice system by creating a celebrity-hungry media circus (the raison d'etre of Richard Gere's Billy Flynn) is more than apt today. But if there's any moralizing going on here, it's with a wink and a flash of leg. Chicago is a treat.

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Ruin the Moment - Chicago Style! bigbrowneyes734
YOUR FAVORITE SONG glass_of_water
Does anyone kinda wish Bob Fosse...... awsomecal
Squish...... cristennn
I think they broke there own rules... michaelmansy
central theme AngelEyesDuchess
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