'Chicago' is all that jazz and a whole lot more

Hailed as the rebirth of the movie musical, "Chicago" brings Bob Fosse's 1975 Broadway masterpiece about 1920s corruption to the big screen. With a knockout cast of Hollywood's brightest stars and the brilliance of the original story and score, "Chicago" is simply electrifying.\n"Chicago" stars Renée Zellweger ("Bridget Jones Diary") as Roxie Hart, a young woman desperate to be a jazz singer. After killing her extramarital lover during an argument, Roxie is thrown into jail to await her trial. There she meets Velma Kelley (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a famous murderess and jazz performer adored by the blood-hungry press and represented by sly lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). After realizing her disastrous murder could be turned into a direct pathway to publicity and fame, Roxie employs Billy to manipulate her story and make the press and public love her. With Roxie headlining every newspaper in town, Velma is nearly forgotten and thus a battle for fame begins between the two killers.\nThe cast is phenomenal, point blank. Like an astonishing Vegas variety show, each musical number rivals the previous. Although she shouldn't plan on releasing any solo albums soon (but should plan on eating a couple hundred candy bars immediately), Zellweger's vocal performance is endearing and her recent Golden Globe is well-deserved. Gere's role is such a dramatic change from previous characters that his success as Billy Flynn is surprising. It's also great to see John C. Riley (a staple of P.T. Anderson films) in the role of Roxie's pathetic husband. An amazing actor and one of the film's most outstanding singers, Riley's performance of "Mr. Cellophane" is flawless. Queen Latifah sparkles in the sexy role of Mama, oftentimes stealing the show through her humor. Although all of the actors are remarkable, it is Zeta-Jones that outshines the rest. Her sultry voice, on-point dancing and radiance make her the cherry on the sundae. \n"Chicago" is a film that makes the movie-going experience worthwhile. Not only a silly musical, the plot holds rich themes about corruption, fame, morality and friendship. The dynamic choreography, keen editing and inventive sequencing keep the audience intrigued until the film's final chord.