Chicago

Starring: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah and Christaine Baranski.
Directed by: Robert Marshall
Rated: PG-13

Ambition has never been this diabolically beautiful before! Chicago is a magical musical masterpiece!

Meet Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) the pip with the oozing moxie. She's sly as a fox and has her eyes set firmly on fame. But her aspirations have been paused as she's gone and killed her beau. Well, her other beau.

See, baby doll Roxie was two timing her husband Amos (John C. Reilly) with a fast talking double talkin' lug of a fella, Fred Casely (Dominic West), that wanted nothing more than a little role in the hay at the end of the day. Shucks the girl was just tryin' to break into showbiz…and Fred done lied about his connections. What was self-respecting girl to do?

But the footlights haven't been blown out on Roxie just yet! Because as fate would have it Rox ends up in the clicker right next to Chicago's notorious vixen cum accused murderer, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta Jones).

Velma's an uber sexy cabaret gal Roxie admired and aspired to become, before her own homocidal faux pas. Velma's one helluva tough chickbabe! Prison's a pinic... besides, she just can't seem recall how her sister and cheating husband ever did end up the body bagged part of a double homicide down at the Cicero Inn. She's an innocent - if a tad lusty - lamb...

The public, being bloodthirsty vampires of the macabre, are fueled by the dynamic combo of Velma's gin and celebrity commingled with her murder and mayhem. She's on every newspaper and radio wire in the country. She's a sensation!

The double murder has turned the gin hall hussy into a continental celebrity- all thanks to a couple of corpses in her repertoire.

Velma plans on cashing in on her new found fame by staging a national tour…but before she can head out on this whirlwind jazzed up me-fest -— at quadruple the pay she got before the silly murders mind you—- she'll have to beat that pesky rap of double murder in a four step's beat.

Enter Momma (Queen Latifah). A hellcat prison guard that runs things in the girl's babealicious block. You treat her right she'll treat you right. She wants a cut of all that goes on, see. Momma decides who lives and who dies in her block. How? By assisting the fallen or forgetting the fallen. This is her inner city.

Momma decides to help Velma - for a cut of the profits. Then She decides to help Roxie for a slice of the profits.

Roxie may look like a rosy-cheeked waif of a farm girl but beneath that snow white appearance is an ambitious gal with pure drive. A true starlet.

Momma sets the gals up - though not in harmony - with Lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). He works with dames on the legal end. He dazzles the juries and spins his craft until he has the twelve people bamboozled like their high off a bottle -o- bootleg!

This time with the natural lying abilities of newly designed bopeep-ish Roxie, he 's gonna try the case of the century….Velma's none too happy to be left in the chorus line and things get delightfully delicious! A cat fight extravaganza played out through song and dance.

Chicago manages to mix the Bowery-like dialog with stunning dance and song, with a special savvy that radiates triumphantly and seamless. Beautiful choreography, harmonious Broadway-ish sets and sexy costumes dance about the screen like the magnificent musicals of long ago - but with today's impeccable soundtrack abilities. Chicago is awe inspiring.

Renee Zellweger just doesn't stop to amaze me. Her talent blew me away once again. She was dynamic. And viciously adorable. I am no clamdigger but if I were...

Catherine Zeta Jones stole every scene she graced. She's got like five-foot legs and belts out the sexy cabaret tunes like she was a hoofer in a past life. This is a role like you've never seen her in before, I tell you!

Richard Gere doesn't age - what's up with that? This man is a never-ending manly man buffet! A virtual virile smorgasbord of yummy man bits displayed like a big scrumptious toffee ball dipped in slivers of slow roasted pecans! Slurp-o-rama! He does a scene, the "Tap Dance," that was so well danced, and edited, it was orgasmic…err…fantastic!

Queen Latifah's another amazing talent. Wooeee did she do justice to the role of Momma.

John C. Reilly - sings and dances! Who knew? Oh yeah he did the musical Marty- that was a clue I guess. Duh. Well, Mr. Citizen Joe does a tear jerking rendition of Cellophane Man that makes you want to ball bullets right there in the theater seat!

Christine Baranski makes a brief, but as always, memorable appearance as an uptight polly-purebred type Mary Sunshine. Sunshine is one of the press folk puppetted by the cunning courthouse dandy Flynn.

Taye Diggs is our master of ceremonies aka The Band Leader. He's a handsome sort ...

Chicago transfers from the stage deliciously as these colossal talents bring a triumphant stage musical brilliantly to life before you on the screen. What a glorious musical extravaganza!

Snack recommendations: Crème bon bons and gin.

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