Review of Chicago (1927) by Shaun M — 11 Jan 2012

Normally I enjoy a good musical. Normally I enjoy Best Picture Oscar winners. But this particular Best Picture Oscar winning musical? Not so much. "Chicago" tells the story of naive Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) who so desperately wants to be a famous singer but ends up being sent to Murderess' Row after killing her lover. With help from the prison warden (Queen Latifah) she hires Chicago's best defense attorney (Richard Gere) to drum up public support to get her back in the limelight and eventually acquitted.

I was a big fan of "Moulin Rouge!" when it came out the year before but it's really tough to like a movie when you can't stand the leading performance. I know Renee Zellweger received an Oscar nomination for her roll but I just didn't see it. Her acting job wasn't anything special and her singing was even worse. Catherine Zeta-Jones, on the other hand, can seriously carry a tune but she was highly underused. Special shout out to John C. Reilly in a supporting roll who brings the only humor to the movie. Overall a disappointing experience especially considering the hardware it took home.