Chicago - Quite good (for a musical)

First, let me say that I’m no fan of musicals and that they’re my least favourite form of film genre.  Therefore, me watching ‘Chicago’ was something I found myself being forced into doing.  I sat down expecting to totally despise it the way I did with others I had to endure such as the ‘Mamma Mia’ torturous offerings.  However, I was actually pleasantly surprised!

No, I’m not suddenly a convert to the genre, but I found enough to enjoy in the film not to want to blow my brains out before the title card had even been displayed.  My main reason for hating musicals is because I like the story and find it dull having to wait for the acting side of the movie to start up again while we watch the singing and dancing (no matter how skilled and talented the performers are).  And, yes, ‘Chicago’ also ‘slows down’ (in my opinion, obviously) while we’re treated to the (yes, excellent – I’m not beyond appreciating how much work goes into the singing/dancing) musical interludes.  But, no matter how much the songs dragged for me, I was pretty blown away by the sheer visual flair of how it was presented.

The singing and dancing could have been awful (it was good) and yet I would still enjoy watching the film’s direction.  The way they wove the songs into the narrative using clever editing techniques made the experience enjoyable – even for someone as bitter over the genre as I am.
Of course much has been made of the two main leads, i.e. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellwegger and, yes, again I have to concede that they are amazing in what they do.

If you like musicals then you will definitely love ‘Chicago.’ I probably will never watch it again, but the fact that I could bring myself to find even a little enjoyment out of it is testament to how good it is.  Although, story-wise, I did find myself questioning the whole ‘moral’ aspect of the story itself.  It’s about women who kill people and are sent to prison, only to spend their time trying to find the best way to get themselves out of trouble and even make something out of the whole mess.  I won’t go into ‘spoiler’ territory, but I was quite surprised by the ending.  Still – good and stylish direction won me over.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights