Was mildly sceptical of this, having seen Moulin Rouge and not being that impressed (it was good but not that good). Quite simply this film hits the mark. So much so I’ve ordered the soundtrack.
It is a real hark back to the days of the MGM Musicals, and about time to. Simple enough storyline (girl meets boy, girl cheats on boy with lover, girl shoots lover, girl goes to jail for murder) but some excellently choreographed numbers and top drawer performances by almost every member of the cast lift this movie. Renee Zellwegger was sultry and pouty as Roxie Hart, Catherine Zeta Jones was the epitomy of ‘sassy’, Richard Gere played the self-serving lawyer card perfectly (as he did on Broadway), and even John C. Reilly and Queen Latifah held their own. I queried it’s 13 Oscar nominations before I had seen the film. Now that I’ve viewed it I’m sure it will receive several golden statuettes, and it will deserve every one.
