In 1920s Chicago, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) are both incarcerated on death row after killing their lovers, attempting to leverage publicity to avoid execution with the help of a smooth-talking lawyer (Richard Gere). John C. Reilly portrays Roxie's well-meaning but not particularly bright husband, while Latifah takes on the role of the prison’s greedy warden. Some people find this entertaining satirical musical to be tawdry, but it would be difficult to poke fun at and mock the media’s targets and a flawed legal system without including some level of sleaze. That's precisely the point of the original 1926 play "Chicago" and all its subsequent versions, including this well-regarded 2002 film: to illustrate and satirically condemn sleaze through an amusing musical presentation. A “Chicago” devoid of any sleaze would be comparable to “Apocalypse Now” without the backdrop of war. Surprisingly, the movie is inspired by actual events involving Beulah Annan (represented by Roxie) and Belva Gaertner (Velma), who were imprisoned for killing their lovers in spring 1924 during separate incidents. The true stories contained a great deal of sex and violence; both women were eventually found not guilty. Maurine Dallas Watkins penned the original play, intending it as a sharp satire of the lack of morals prevalent in Chicago during the roaring twenties. Watkins, notably, was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune who covered these sensational trials and is embodied by Mary Sunshine (Christine Baranski) in the film. Numerous supporting characters are also based on real people involved in the unfolding events, such as journalists, lawyers, officials, and inmates. I don’t typically enjoy musicals beyond films like "Moulin Rouge" (1952) and "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), but “Chicago” appeals to me largely because of the numerous attractive women performing in flapper-era showgirl costumes. It's the same reason I appreciate figure skating. Following the ratification of the 19th Amendment, American women were experiencing a period of newfound freedom and "Chicago" captures this sense of exhilaration. I also find “Chicago” enjoyable because Richard Gere delivers a strong performance, and there are some inventive moments, such as the scene with puppets and the tap-dancing sequence. All of the musical numbers take place within Roxie's imagination, with the exception of Velma’s opening "All that Jazz" at the club and the final number featuring both Velma and Roxie. The film has a running time of 1 hour, 53 minutes. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB