'Chicago' musical film based on reporter's 1926 play

A few days ago, I made more progress in my quest to watch all of the Academy Award winners for Best Picture, in order, when I watched (for the first time) the 2002 winner, “Chicago.”

For those of you who have not seen this movie, it’s a musical film directed by Rob Marshall and starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly and Lucy Liu. The movie is based on a Broadway stage musical written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The Kander and Ebb musical was based on a 1926 play by Maurine Watkins. Watkins’ play was based on two real life Jazz Era killers, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. (Watkins’ was familiar with the cases of Annan and Gaertner because she covered their stories while working as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune.)

In a nutshell, “Chicago” is about Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, who find themselves on death row after committing unrelated murders in 1920s Chicago. They battle each other for media attention and fame in hopes that it’ll keep them from receiving the death penalty.

I have to admit up front that I generally dislike musical films because they are just so unrealistic. I enjoy watching a movie and getting so into it that I actually forget that I’m watching a movie. The second someone breaks out into some ridiculous song, it ruins it for me. With that said, “Chicago” was very entertaining, and I have to admit that it’s probably the best musical I’ve ever watched.

“Chicago” was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and went on to win six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Zeta-Jones), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. It was the first musical film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture since “Oliver!” in 1968.

For the Best Picture Oscar, “Chicago” beat out a number of high quality films that were also nominated for the honor that year, including “Gangs of New York,” “The Hours,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and “The Pianist.”

Released on Dec. 27, 2002, this movie not only raked in the awards, but it was also a huge financial success. Against a shooting budget of $45 million, this movie brought in gross revenues of $306.8 million. The film was distributed by Miramax Films, and it became Miramax’s highest grossing film when its domestic box office hit $171 million.

In the end, I enjoyed watching this movie and would recommend it to anyone out there who enjoys musicals and crime dramas. This movie is very entertaining, and will leave you with little doubt about why it received the Best Picture Oscar in 2002.

How many of you have had a chance to watch “Chicago”? What did you think about it? Did you like it? Dislike it? Let us know in the comments section below.