Review of Chicago (1927) by Eric J — 18 Jan 2012

I can't pinpoint exactly why, but for some reason traditional musicals don't seem to work in modern day cinema. It just doesn't feel right having characters breaking out into song, unless it's some sort of children's movie. So I was extremely reluctant to see this one. However I was amazed, because they pulled off something brilliant. They created a musical where all the songs were just part of an elaborate fantasy of the main character.

The talent they have in this movie is absolutely brilliant. They did a superb job of finding actors who had good singing voices, and some dancing ability. These songs, which were basically all well-known from the stage play, are quite good as well. But still the biggest success is that script. The way they blended Roxie's hallucinations with reality was pitch perfect and really kept you involved in the story even during the singing and dancing.

With any other movie this would be enough for me to give it a perfect rating. I would brag about how perfect the film was, and implore everyone to see it. But there is one thing that holds back my rating. I realize that the costuming is intended to emulate the era and a certain type of theater, and they most likely do that excellently. However I just don't feel right spending an hour watching women dance provocatively in their underwear. It makes me feel like a dirty old man. Now this isn't exactly something wrong with the movie, it's just personal opinion which is bound to enter any of my reviews. Other than that, this is a very well made movie that puts a modern twist on classic musical theater.