Chicago (film)

Chicago is a 2002 musical film released by Miramax Films. First released in limited cities on December 27, 2002, Chicago opened in wide release on January 24, 2003. An adaptation of the satirical stage musical Chicago, the film explores the themes of celebrity and scandal in Jazz age Chicago. Directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall, and adapted for film by screenwriter Bill Condon, Chicago won six Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture. The film was the first musical film to win the Best Picture Oscar since Oliver! (1968).

Chicago centers around Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, two murderesses who find themselves on death row together in 1920s Chicago. Velma, a professional vaudevillian, and Roxie, a housewife with aspirations of being a star, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows. The film stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, and Richard Gere, also featuring Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, and Colm Feore.

Tagline: With the right song and dance, you can get away with murder.

Cast

Taye Diggs - Bandleader
Cliff Saunders - Stage Manager

Catherine Zeta-Jones - Velma Kelly

Renée Zellweger - Roxie Hart

Dominic West - Fred Casely

Jayne Eastwood - Mrs. Borusewicz
Bruce Beaton - Police Photographer
Roman Podhora - Sergeant Fogarty

John C. Reilly - Amos Hart

Colm Feore - Harrison
Robert Chester Smith - Newspaper Photographer (as Rob Smith)
Sean Wayne Doyle - Reporter
Steve Behal - Prison Clerk
Robbie Rox - Prison Guard
Chita Rivera - Nickie

Queen Latifah - Matron Mama Morton

Susan Misner - Liz

Denise Faye - Annie
Deidre Goodwin - June
Ekaterina Chtchelkanova - Hunyak

Mya - Mona (as Mýa Harrison)
Joey Pizzi - Bernie / Ensemble
Scott Wise - Ezekial Young / Male Dancer
Ken Ard - Wilbur / Male Dancer
Marc Calamia - Hunyak's Husband / Male Dancer
Niki Wray - Veronica
Gregory Mitchell - Charlie / Male Dancer (as Greg Mitchell)

Sebastian Lacause - Al Lipschitz / Male Dancer (as Sebastian LaCause)

Richard Gere - Billy Flynn

Christine Baranski - Mary Sunshine
Brendan Wall - Billy's Assistant
Cleve Asbury - 'Gun' Reporter #1 / Hospital Reporter / Male Dancer / Ensemble

Rick Negron - 'Gun' Reporter #2 / Male Dancer / Ensemble
Shaun Amyot - 'Gun' Reporter #3 / Male Dancer / Ensemble
Eve Crawford - Billy's Secretary
Bill Corsair - Newsreel Announcer (voice)
Bill Britt - Auctioneer

Gerry Fiorini - Sailor

Elizabeth Law - Perfume Lady

Lucy Liu - Kitty Baxter

Joseph Scoren - Harry

Monique Ganderton - Bare Woman #1
April Morgan - Bare Woman #2
Marty Moreau - Groin Reporter (as Martin Moreau)

Conrad Dunn - Doctor
Jonathon Whittaker - Bailiff (as Jonathan Whittaker)
Rod Campbell - Jury Foreman
Brett Caruso - Harrison's Assistant

Sean McCann - Judge

Jeff Clarke - Court Clerk

Patrick Salvagna - Newsboy

Kathryn Zenna - Woman Shooter
Jeff Pustil - Club Owner
Roxane Barlow - Female Dancer / Ensemble
Jocelyn Dowling - Female Dancer / Ensemble (as Joey Dowling)
Melanie A. Gage - Female Dancer / Ensemble (as Melanie Gage)
Michelle Johnston - Female Dancer
Charley King - Female Dancer / Ensemble
Mary Ann Lamb - Female Dancer / Ensemble

Vicky Lambert - Female Dancer / Ensemble

Tara Nicole Hughes - Female Dancer / Ensemble (as Tara Nicole)
Cynthia Onrubia - Female DancerEnsemble
Karine Plantadit-Bageot - Female Dancer
Jennifer Savelli - Female Dancer
Natalie Willes - Female Dancer
Karen Andrew - Female Dancer
Kelsey Chace - Female Dancer

Catherine Chiarelli - Female Dancer
Theresa Coombe - Female Dancer
Lisa Ferguson - Female Dancer
Melissa Flerangile - Female Dancer
Michelle Galati - Female Dancer
Sheri Godfrey - Female Dancer

Brittany Gray - Female Dancer

Karen Holness - Female Dancer
Amber-Kelly Mackereth - Female Dancer
Jody-Lynn McFadden - Female Dancer
Faye Rauw - Female Dancer
Rhonda Roberts - Female Dancer
Leigh Torlage - Female Dancer
Robyn Wong - Female Dancer
Ted Banfalvi - Male Dancer
Harrison Beal - Male Dancer / Ensemble

Paul Becker - Male Dancer
Jean-Luke Cote - Male Dancer
Scott Fowler - Male Dancer / Ensemble
Edgar Godineaux - Male Dancer / Ensemble
Bill Hartung - Male Dancer / Ensemble (as Billy Hartung)
Darren Lee - Male Dancer / Ensemble

Troy Liddell - Male Dancer
Blake McGrath - Male Dancer

Robert Montano - Male Dancer / Ensemble
Sean Palmer - Male Dancer / Ensemble
Desmond Richardson - Male Dancer / Ensemble

Martin Samuel - Male Dancer
Jason Sermonia - Male Dancer
Jeff Siebert - Male Dancer / Ensemble
Sergio Trujillo - Male Dancer
Stacy Clark Baisley - Acrobat
Megan Fehlberg - Acrobat
Rachel Jacobs - Acrobat
Rebecca Leonard - Acrobat
Erin Michie - Acrobat
Danielle Rueda-Watts - Acrobat
Dana Calitri - Female Ensemble
Kate Coffman-Lloyd - Female Ensemble
Laura Dean - Female Ensemble
Margaret Dorn - Female Ensemble
Capathia Jenkins - Female Ensemble
Audrey Martells - Female Ensemble
Sara Ramirez - Female Ensemble
Nicki Richards - Female Ensemble (as Nicky Richards)
Dennis Collins - Male Ensemble
Darius de Haas - Male Ensemble (as Darius De Haas)
Willie Falk - Male Ensemble
Curtis King - Male Ensemble
Timothy Shew - Male Ensemble
Fronzi Thornton - Male Ensemble (as Fonzie Thornton)
Eric Troyer - Male Ensemble

Plot

Chicago, circa 1920. Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) is a nobody who dreams of the fame and wealth of a singing career. When she shoots her abusive lover, Fred Casely, who lied about his ability to get her a job as a performer, Roxie is sent to murderesses' row. There she meets Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a vaudeville star whose celebrity is only increased by her double murder of her husband and sister Veronica, caught together by Velma in an act of adultery. Facing death row, Roxie sends her sad-sack husband, Amos (John C. Reilly), to hire Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Chicago's most famous and successful defense attorney, who promises to turn her case into a celebrity murder trial and get her acquitted — a promise he's also made to Velma.

Flynn and Roxie manipulate the press and the public, and Roxie becomes famous. When Billy recognizes Roxie's potential, and Velma realizes she's no longer Billy's cause celebre, Roxie and Velma become locked in a rivalry to outdo each other in stardom. The tables are turned on both ladies, however, when a new killer (named Kitty (Lucy Liu) — a wealthy woman who killed her husband and both of his mistresses — enters the scene.

Roxie manages to steal back attention by falsely claiming to be pregnant. Using this lie as well as a 'reformed criminal' story, her trial proceeds and becomes a media spectacle, fed off the sensationalist reports of radio personality Mary Sunshine (Christine Baranski). The trial goes Roxie's way, until Velma shows up with Roxie's diary, reading incriminating entries, that Roxie claims to never have written, in exchange for amnesty. Using some quick talking, Billy manages to get Roxie off the hook and she is proclaimed innocent. Much to Roxie's dismay, however, her publicity is short lived: as soon as the trial concludes, the public's attention turns quickly to a new murderess. Roxie leaves the courthouse after discovering that Billy wrote the false diary entries, and sent the journal to Velma to get Miss Kelly off death row.

With nothing left, Roxie once more sets off to find a stage career, with little success. But she is soon approached by Velma, who is willing to revive a two person act with Roxie. Roxie refuses at first, but eventually capitulates. The two murderesses, no longer facing jail time, finally become the enormous successes they have been longing to be.

Chicago
"All That Jazz" - Velma Kelly & Company (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
"Funny Honey" - Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger)
"When You're Good to Mama" - Matron "Mama" Morton (Queen Latifah)
"Cell Block Tango" - Velma Kelly and Mona (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mýa)
"All I Care About" - Billy Flynn (Richard Gere)
"We Both Reached for the Gun" - Billy Flynn, Roxie Hart, Mary Sunshine and Reporters (Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger, and Christine Baranski)
"Roxie" - Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger)
"I Can't Do It Alone" - Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
"Mister Cellophane" - Amos Hart (John C. Reilly)
"Razzle Dazzle" - Billy Flynn & Company (Richard Gere)
"Class" - Velma Kelly and Matron "Mama" Morton (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah; this song performed by Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones was filmed, but it was cut from the film. The scene was later included on the DVD release and the film's broadcast television premiere on NBC in 2005, and the song was included on the soundtrack album.)
"Nowadays" - Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger)
"Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag" - Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly (Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones)
"I Move On" - Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly (Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones)

Academy Awards
Chicago won 6 Academy Awards:

Best Picture (Martin Richards)
Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
Best in Film Editing (Martin Walsh)
Best in Art Direction (John Myhre)
Best in Costume Design (Colleen Atwood)
Best in Sound Mixing (Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella and David Lee)
It was nominated for seven others:

Best Director (Rob Marshall)
Best Actress (Renée Zellweger)
Best Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly)
Best Supporting Actress (Queen Latifah)
Best in Cinematography (Dion Beebe)
Best Original Song ("I Move On" by John Kander and Fred Ebb)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Bill Condon).

[edit] Golden Globes
Chicago won three Golden Globe Awards: Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Actress in Musical or Comedy (Renée Zellweger), and Best Actor in Musical or Comedy (Richard Gere).

It was nominated for five more: Best Director (Rob Marshall), Best Actress in Musical or Comedy (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Best Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly), Best Supporting Actress (Queen Latifah), and Best Screenplay (Bill Condon).

Trivia
Anastacia enters in the soundtrack with the song "Love Is A Crime". The song had a video but it was never released as a single, due to the singer's recently announced breast cancer. When Anastacia was shooting the video she had a 40°C(104°F) degree fever.
Chicago was to have been the next movie project for legendary stage and film choreographer and director Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the original Broadway production. Although he died before the film was made, the influence of his distinctive jazz choreography style can be detected throughout the film. In particular, the parallels to Cabaret are numerous and distinct. He is thanked in the movie's credits.
Chita Rivera, who originated the role of Velma Kelly on Broadway in 1975, makes a cameo appearance as "Nicky."
Catherine Zeta-Jones began her career in musicals, appearing in the lead role of 42nd Street in London's West End at the age of just seventeen.
Britney Spears was considered for the role of Kitty, that later went to Lucy Liu. Britney Spears was suggested by the director, but due to heavy schedules Lucy Liu was hired instead.
Four years before filming began, Madonna announced in a number of interviews she would play Roxie opposite Liza Minnelli as Velma. This version was to be directed by Nicholas Hytner. It is unknown as to why Madonna pulled out.
John Travolta was originally offered the role of Billy Flynn. Richard Gere played the role instead. It is the third time Gere has had success playing part that was first offered to Travolta, following American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman. Gere was also offered a role that Travolta turned down in Mr. 3000, however Gere turned that role down as well and it ended up going to Bernie Mac.
Rosie O'Donnell was also considered for the role of Matron "Mama" Morton.
A 1942 movie called Roxie Hart starred Ginger Rogers as Roxie and Adolphe Menjou as Billy Flynn. The movie followed essentially the same story line as Chicago. The only singing or dancing was done by Rogers.
Nicole Kidman turned down the part of "Roxie Hart" because she had already starred in the musical Moulin Rouge!, and she didn't want to star in two musicals in a row. She decided to star in The Hours instead.
Hugh Jackman, who is 19 years younger than Richard Gere, turned down the role of Billy Flynn, feeling that he couldn't handle it. He has stated several times that he regrets doing so.
Kathy Bates was considered for the role of "Mamma Morton", but Queen Latifah was cast instead.
Angelina Jolie auditioned for the role of "Velma Kelly", but Catherine Zeta-Jones was cast instead.
Charlize Theron had originally been cast as "Roxie Hart", but was replaced by Renée Zellweger a few weeks before rehearsals were set to begin.
Molly Ringwald, Winona Ryder, Gwyneth Paltrow, Toni Collette, and Marisa Tomei were all at one point in the running for the role of "Velma Kelly".