Chicago

Maybe you've heard of a little song called, "Cell Block Tango" or maybe "All That Jazz." Well, those songs come from a little musical called Chicago. Chicago is a Broadway musical that was adapted into a film in 2002 that won six Academy Awards. The film stars Renee Zellweger as Roxie Hart, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, and Richard Gere as Billy Flynn.

Chicago takes place in the roaring twenties where jazz was all the rage and vaudeville was extremely popular. Roxie Hart is a housewife who has ambitions of becoming a showgirl on Vaudeville. She goes to a club with  Fred Casely, with whom she has an affair. He promises to get her on Vaudeville through his connections; however, he reveals that he lied about his connections and that he was going to abandon her. Enraged, she shoots him three times, killing him. She is put in prison where she meets a famous showgirl, Velma Kelly, who is arrested for killing her husband and sister who were having an affair. The women at the Cook County Jail tell their tales of how they killed their loved ones through my favorite number in Chicago, "Cell Block Tango." The next day, Roxie's naive husband, Amos, who is completely devoted to her finds enough money to hire one of Chicago's most prominent lawyers, Billy Flynn, who is known for his "smooth talkin' ways" and his method of making celebrities out of his client in order to win support from the public. Through Billy, Roxie becomes famous which makes Kelly jealous. The two begin a rivalry. By the end of the film, the court rules that Roxie is not guilty. She is no longer famous and therefore, is left with nothing. At the very end of the film, she sets off to find a career in Vaudeville. After Velma is released as well, the two decide to work together in a two-person acts. Although the rivalry between them still exists, Velma insists that in show business, competition and rivalry is something that can't be avoided.

Overall, I really, really like this film because of its amazing portrayal of Vaudeville, and all the glitz, glamor, and craziness of the Jazz Age. With all of the scandal, seqins and jazz, it's like you're in Chicago in 1920 with all of the flappers and showgirls. The music is great, and the cast is also terrific. Catherine Zeta-Jones is amazing, and of course Richard Gere is fabulous. Here's the trailer. Enjoy!