Review of Chicago

Sometimes it would be simpler to look at things without "that horrible moral squint" but for me it is nearly impossible. I went to see Chicago already somewhat aware of the moral deficiencies of the movie, so perhaps my impression is a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. Yet, I did look for the trees. I tried to look at the movie as a work of art, and tried to find a redeeming value which would make this a movie worth recommending. In fact, there is but one: it is entertaining.

Chicago is so glitzy and slick that it makes Moulin Rouge look like an indie film. The jazzy and colorful musical numbers are seamlessly blended with good acting and sharp dialogue. It is almost tiring how much dancing and singing there is in the movie. However, the movie is engrossing because of that fact. My eyes barely left the screen once during the entire movie. Although I have never seen Chicago on Broadway, I imagine that they did a very good job bringing the essence of the play to the big screen. Nevertheless, I think my overall impression of Chicago was that it was a vivid, shiny picture with absolutely no heart.

"No heart" is such a prosaism, but it does describe the matter. I, the viewer, cared not a jot for any of the many characters in the movie, except perhaps for Amos Hart, the pathetic husband of the supposed protagonist, Roxie Hart, played by Renee Zellweger. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but Roxie is, of course, a murderer. She is also a harlot: she murdered the man with whom she had been committing adultery because she found out that he could not get her an act on the vaudeville stage. Another lovely, heartless murderess is found in the character of Velma Kelly, who shot her sister and her husband after finding them committing adultery. All in all, there is a lot about adultery in the movie, which is enough right there to make me dislike it, not to mention the whole murder thing.

Now, perhaps all this immorality was meant to be tongue-in-cheek and satirical, and in some parts it was so, but it still could not erase the emotionless quality of the movie: after all, the theme of it was that murder and immorality are good because in the end they land you a grand showbiz gig. In fact, sometimes I wondered if the entire movie wasn't some show business in-joke which not only entirely eluded me, but also was not at all funny. Of course, some parts of the movie were funny, some were sad, and some were just strange. The movie did indeed have range. It just didn't have any really human connection. It is a movie with a lot of flash and no gold.

The purpose of this review is not to dissuade you from seeing Chicago if you've already decided you want to. It's not even to say that the movie isn't worth seeing. I just want to go on record as saying that I did not like it and I would not recommend it to anyone else. However, I do recommend the soundtrack!