Friday, January 24, 2014

Chicago

After catching the lively Bob Fosse/Kander and Ebb musical when it visited town two weeks ago, I was again taken by the dazzling production and infectious songs and decided to revisit the likewise popular screen adaptation which was a lead player in the musical resurrection of over a decade ago. Watching Chicago, which details the rivalry of two Cook County murderesses sharing the same hotshot attorney and vying for front page ink, I was impressed by how well the story was translated for the big screen  in Bill Condon's inventive script. At the picture received some mild criticism for being overly flashy but it stands to be said that it is never boring, often amusing, and when considering it in terms of gustful performances (Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Richard Gere, and especially Catherine Zeta-Jones) with a measured one by John C. Reilly thrown in to boot (not to mention they all did their own singing and dancing), we have one of the best cast performances of the last twenty years.