Movie Review: Bee Movie

Bee Movie (2007)

Directed by Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner

Written by Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, Andy Robin

Starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock

Release Date November 2nd, 2007

Published November 1st, 2007

I'm a big fan of Seinfeld. That talky seemingly going nowhere about nothing style is just hilarious to me. Jerry has significantly lowered his profile since his legendary TV show made him the second richest television personality in America, right behind Oprah. Now Jerry is getting back to business and not being much of an actor, he's found himself a niche in animation. Bee Movie is the brainchild of Jerry and a few friends from Seinfeld. The story of a worker bee who leaves the hive and discovers a whole new world of possibilities is really just a collection of Seinfeld-isms masked by kid friendly animation.

When Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld) discovers that he will be working the same job for the rest of his bee life he longs for an escape. He gets his chance when a squadron of pollen gathering jock bees invite him to fly outside the hive. What Barry discovers is that while most humans want to squash him, at least one human, Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), will defend his right to live.

Though bee law doesn't allow bees to speak to humans, Barry is compelled to thank Vanessa for saving his life. This leads to a friendship, and a puppy dog crush for Barry. Eventually, Vanessa leads Barry to another revelation, humans have been stealing the bee's honey. With her help, Barry decides to sue humanity for the return of the precious nectar they work so hard to create.

So, there is a semblance of a plot in Bee Movie. The whole thing about humans stealing honey from bees gives the film something to do while Seinfeld riffs opposite Renee Zellweger. The dialogue is a combination of classic Seinfeld fascinations (awkward introductions, pop culture, et al) and bee puns. Some of these meandering conversations hit with a good punchline, sometimes they thud like a bad pun. Still, everything is delivered in a good natured and pleasant fashion.

The animation of Bee Movie is in the Dreamworks style, reminiscent of both Shrek and Shark's Tale. Shiny surfaces, oddly shaped bulbous characters and bright colors. For Bee Movie yellow and black are, naturally, the dominant colors, especially in the hive. Outside, bright blue skies and gorgeous green grass standout as some remarkable, eye catching visuals.

Joining the fun of Bee Movie are a number of big name guest stars. It's like a sweeps episode of the Love Boat. Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Matthew Broderick, Kathy Bates and Seinfeld's old TV pal Patrick Warburton each play key roles. Sting drops in for a brief, humorous cameo and Ray Liotta steals the movie in a terrifically over the top bit of self parody.

Jerry Seinfeld is so naturally funny that you will laugh while watching Bee Movie. You just won't laugh enough. Gags and one liners work well in a stand up act but in movies we long for characters with some depth and insight. We long for characters who aren't merely placeholders in search of the next setup and punchline.

Ratatouille is soon to come out on DVD and that film about a gourmet rat shows the potential of animation to create animal characters with depth, insight and more to offer than a few good zingers. Bee Movie is amiable and nice but compared to Ratatouille, it's superfluous and entirely forgettable. While some won't mind the trifle that is Bee Movie, deep down they will long for more. I know I did.

Movie Review: Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason

Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason (2004) 

Directed by Beeban Kidron

Written by Adam Brooks, Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, Helen Fielding 

Starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones 

Release Date November 12th, 2004

Published November 11th, 2004 

When Renee Zellweger was announced to play British singleton icon Bridget Jones from the enormously successful book by Helen Fielding, the reaction was less than exciting for fans of the book. How could an American actress, from Texas no less, capture this essentially British character. Amazingly, not only did she pull off the accent and some serious weight gain, Zellweger went on to be nominated for an Oscar, a remarkable feat for a comic performance.

With that much success it is no surprise that there is now a sequel, it's also no surprise that that sequel is not quite as good as the original. It's called sequelitis and no matter how good the original film may be, few sequels can escape the sequel curse.

It's been five terrific weeks since Bridget Jones (Zellweger) landed the man of her dreams Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Five weeks, 35 glorious days, 70 spectacular shags. However, in every passionate relationship, eventually; you have to get out of bed and when Bridget and Mark finally get up and get dressed the problems begin.

At first it's little things like Mark's need to fold his underwear or his insistence that she quit smoking. Soon, it's bigger problems like Mark's stodgy stuck up lawyer friends and his surprisingly conservative politics. Then it's Mark's new assistant a leggy, gorgeous, 22 year old named Rebecca (rising star Jascinda Barrett).

Bridget's circle of friends, Shazzer (Sally Phillips), Tom (James Callis) and Jude (Shirley Henderson), certainly don't help matters by fueling her paranoia over Mark's new assistant. While Bridget's only married friend Janey (Lucy Robinson) raises questions about why Mark hasn't asked her to marry him. Then there are Bridget's wacky parents, flighty Mom (Shirley Dixon) and put upon Dad (Jim Broadbent), who shock Bridget by announcing they are renewing their marriage vows.

Finally one last big obstacle for Bridget and Mark comes from Bridget's job where, as a reporter for Sit Up Britain, she has become a celebrity for smiling her way through one humiliation after another. This leads to a big promotion but one big complication. Bridget will co-host a travel show that will take her all over the world but her co-host is her former boss, and lecherous boyfriend, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant).

That is the bare bones set up; but the plot in reality is contrived and episodic. Four writers including novelist and creator Helen Fielding, director Beeban Kidron, romantic comedy genius Richard Curtis (Love Actually,Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Adam Brooks, another rom-com vet who wrote this years charming tennis movie Wimbledon, all combine to give the film that to many cooks in the kitchen feeling. A lot of conflicting ideas come together to create a mishmash of good and not so good scenes. The final product is something that might make for a good sitcom but not a great movie.

Fortunately these writers are blessed with a cast that is to die for. Renee Zellweger is once again her Oscar-worthy self. Patterning her performance after Lucille Ball and the gals from Sex and The City Zellweger combines physical comedy with a terrific ability to win our hearts she makes this lackadaisical story and script work, to a point, because no matter what we absolutely love her.

For his part Colin Firth is likable but as his role is written he is somewhat hamstrung. His character is stuffy and rigid with little spontaneity. Opposite Zellweger's bubbly Bridget he looks even more stiff than he's written. Firth does what he can with the role but for the most part he is pushed along by the plot. Hugh Grant also suffers somewhat from plot manipulation but his charm and razor sharp wit make even his most strained moments work. The final fight scene between Firth and Grant is terrifically funny for the awful way the actors carry it off.

Fans of Renee Zellweger will find lots to love in Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason as will faithful fans of the book. For the uninitiated though the film will feel disjointed and overlong. The characters are often ridiculously lost and befuddled which leads to much audience confusion until the end when predictability and a touch of schmaltz rule the day.

Where the original felt fresh and vibrant this sequel is rote and simplistic. The various attempts at salvaging it by bringing on a different writer only served to muddy the waters. All of this seems like it may have been to much for first time director Beeban Kidron. The director often seems as overwhelmed by problems as Bridget herself and the only way out was to stick close to sitcomic formula.

Even with all that goes wrong I would not mind another Bridget sequel and I'm sure I'm not alone. Edge Of Reason does not fail because of Bridget the character who remains wildly, lovably, daft and it only benefits from Renee Zellweger's portrayal. It is the developments behind the scenes, the direction and scripting that went awry. Fix the script and keep the characters and you may just have another funny story to tell in the next Bridget Jones adventure.

Movie Review: Case 39

Case 39 (2009) 

Directed by Christian Alvart

Written by Ray Wright 

Starring Renee Zellweger, Callum Keith Rennie, Bradley Cooper, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane

Release Date October 1st, 2010 

Published November 15th, 2010

There was really no good reason for “Case 39,” the horror thriller starring Renee Zellweger, to have sat on the shelf for 3 years. The film is no game changing original in the genre but compared to the kind of horror flotsam that slips into nationwide release on a regular basis in the US, “Case 39” is harmless and forgettable enough that it should have passed through theaters without issue several years ago.

Instead, “Case 39” arrives with the undue burden of a heavy coat of dust that muddies the perception of the film's inherent qualities. It's fair for an audience to wonder what the studio saw in the film that made them want to hold it back and that thought leads to the fair perception that “Case 39” is a royal stinker which it is not.

Emily Jenkins (Renee Zellweger) is a social worker with a lot on her plate. She has 38 open cases of potential child abuse and neglect to deal with when her boss Wayne (Adrian Lester) drops a 39th case on her desk. Naturally, Emily is put off by the new assignment but being the dutiful investigator she is soon at the home of the troubled little girl Lilith (Jodelle Ferland) and her disturbed parents Edward (Callum Keith Rennie) and Margaret (Kerry O'Malley).

Though her visit turns up no direct evidence of abuse, Emily's instincts are that Lilith is being abused and needs more attention and care. She moves the investigation along off the books with the aid of a friendly detective, Mike Barron (Ian McShane), and eventually catches the parents in the action of trying to kill Lilith.

Lilith immediately connects with Emily, even as Emily tries to make clear she has no instinct for parenting. Soon, Lilith has convinced Emily to bring her home to her modest suburban abode and just as soon afterward things start going from serene to weird to drop dead terrifying for Emily and any one in her life from co-workers to Mike the cop to her potential boyfriend, Doug (Bradley Cooper), who becomes a particular target.

It does not take a triple digit IQ to figure out where this story is going. Director Christian Alvart (Pandorum, Antibodies) directs “Case 39” with all of the nuance subtlety of a jackhammer. Alvart's direction of Ray Wright's insultingly simpleminded script signals each twist and turn of the plot with heavy-handed music cues and dimwitted direction.

This would be surprising considering that screenwriter Ray Wright also delivered the clever and thrilling screenplay for the 2010's update of “The Crazies.” Then, one remembers that “Case 39” is going on 4 years old and well before Wright had truly developed his talent. The same could be fairly said about director Alvart who followed up “Case 39” with the dull but efficient sci-fi horror flick “Pandorum.”

Renee Zellweger remains a talented and compelling actress who knows how to draw an audience to her. “Case 39”sadly is just too dopey for even someone of Ms. Zellweger's talent to work around. The plotting is clunky and perfunctory. The supporting players, no matter that they are played by talented familiar faces like McShane and Cooper, are little more than cannon fodder and Jodelle Ferland while cute, cannot carry the burden of a plot that is so poorly drawn.

All of that said, “Case 39”is better, more professionally crafted, than much of the garbage that has been playing to empty theaters in the time that “Case 39” has been gathering dust. I could name at least 100 films far worse than “Case 39” that did not have to carry the burden of being abandoned by it's studio for three years. Is “Case 39” good enough that you should buy a ticket? Maybe not, but if you've bought tickets for such lesser fare as “Piranha 3D” you may as well pledge a little money to “Case 39.”

Movie Review: Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man (2005) 

Directed by Ron Howard 

Written by Cliff Hollingsworth, Akiva Goldsman 

Starring Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill 

Release Date June 3rd, 2005

Published June 2nd, 2005 

Legendary depression era writer Damon Runyon dubbed James J. Braddock 'The Cinderella Man'. Runyon, best known for his unique patois and shady underworld characters, found some things he liked about the Braddock story. There was the the underdog unlikeliness of the story and the sports setting, however, the square Mr. Braddock was not really Damon Runyon's favorite kind of character. Runyon may not have been taken much with Ron Howard's equally square biography of Mr. Braddock which takes its name from his writing. Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe, features some awesome boxing but the earnest sentimental drama out of the ring crosses quickly over to out and out schmaltz.

Russell Crowe stars as James J. "Bulldog" Braddock who in 1929 was a top ranked Light Heavyweight contender. Braddock was flush with success, cash, a beautiful wife named Mae (Renee Zellweger) and three gorgeous kids. Sadly however in a Jobian succession of ills, Braddock lost nearly everything in the stock market crash of 1929 and a subsequent hand injury that would eventually sidetrack his promising career.

In 1933 Braddock was forced from the ring by his injury and a series of bad fights, mostly ugly brutal losses, though to his credit Braddock was never knocked out. With bills piling up, winter coming and his family living in a dirt floor apartment, Braddock attempts to find work on the docks of New Jersey but there are more men than shifts and he and many others are often excluded.

Forced to beg his former boxing promoters for money, Braddock finds sympathy from his former manager and trainer Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) who pulls strings to get Braddock his boxing license back and lands him an important fight at Madison Square Garden, playing punching bag to a new top contender. Braddock shockingly knocks the kid out and in so doing, he earns the admiration of fans for his gutty style and his obvious underdog status.

One fight leads to another and eventually Braddock has a showdown with the champion of the world, Max Baer (Craig Bierko). The champ is reputed to have killed two men in the ring, is much bigger than Braddock, and given Braddock's time away from the ring, there is much speculation that Baer might just make it three in ring kills. Braddock's wife Mae is certainly concerned, a bit of drama the film mines for dramatic tension near the end of the film.

Going in to Cinderella Man with no knowledge of whether James J. Braddock won or lost the championship fight lended a great deal of compelling drama to the film's boxing scenes which on top of the suspense, are extraordinarily shot by Director Ron Howard and Cinematographer Salvatore Totino. The boxing is by far the best part of Cinderella Man. The audience I watched with cheered and clapped at the end of each fight as if they were inside that smoky rundown gymnasium.

If the rest of Cinderella Man were as good as the boxing we would be talking about one of the best movies of the year. However the film's script by Cliff Hollingsworth and script doctor Akiva Goldsman is so achingly sentimental you have to fight your eyes to keep them from rolling. The non-boxing scenes overflow with the fairy tale goodness of James Braddock the family man. Braddock is treated with such a soft touch you can hardly believe he would have the will to punch someone, let alone become a boxing champion.

The only thing that keeps Cinderella Man from becoming a complete loss, aside from the boxing, are the performances of Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. This awesome cast of real pro actors handle even the most squeamish of squishy dialogue with just the right amount of earnestness and distance. This is a fairy tale underdog story that happened to come true so earnestness and sentimentality are to be expected, but without these great actors this may have well become a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV weepie.

I cannot say enough great things about the boxing scenes in Cinderella Man. Russell Crowe nails the pose, the athleticism, and the raw power of a real boxer while Howard directs around whatever deficiencies Crowe may have had. The boxing scenes are extraordinary and very compelling and really the most memorable thing about Cinderella Man.

It's not that the rest of the film, from the home life drama to the social drama of the depression era setting or the romance between Crowe and Zellweger, never works but that it's all a bit too safe. Despite the gritty ghetto setting and the dingy dive boxing arena, there is very little grit or dirt in Cinderella Man. Braddock was well known for his decency and honor, wonderful qualities but no one is perfect. Director Ron Howard portrays James Braddock as if he were positioning him for sainthood.

This earnest portrayal grows weary after a while and you long for some little bit of dysfunction, some flaw, anything that could shed some light on how this eminently decent gentlemen became a brutal warrior in a boxing ring. Certainly his desperate situation, the fact that he was fighting to feed his family, played a large role in his determination but what aspect of his personality drove him to be a championship contender in the first place? That element is missing from Crowe's performance and the film as a whole.

Director Ron Howard has never been known for his gritty storytelling. You expect Howard to indulge his crowd pleasing nature. He indulges a little too often in Cinderella Man but with the extraordinary boxing scenes and the power of his cast, Howard manages to keep Cinderella Man, at the very least, entertaining all the way to the final bell. It could have been a real contender but as it is, Cinderella Man is a bit of fluffy feel good entertainment.

Movie Review: Down with Love

Down with Love (2003) 

Directed by Peyton Reed 

Written by Eve Ahlert, Dennis Drake 

Starring Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, David Hyde Pierce, Sarah Paulson, Tony Randall 

Release Date December 25th, 2003 

Published December 24th, 2003

Recipe for how to make a romantic comedy soufflé. Mix two parts attractive leads, two parts cute supporting players. Sprinkle in a mistaken identity, mixed messages and three parts romantic complications and let cook for no more than 90 to 100 minutes. The new romantic comedy Down With Love, starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, has all the ingredients of your typical romantic comedy. Spiced with a period look and a feel that freshens the formula, Down with Love rises above its recently undercooked genre.

Down With Love stars Renee Zellweger as small town girl turned big city writer, Barbara Novak. Barbara has just come to New York from her small town in Maine to promote her new book Down With Love. It's a book that instructs women to throw off the shackles of love and strive for a place in the male dominated workforce. It teaches women that they can live just like a man, have a career and sex without the distraction of love and it's various complications. With her editor and new best friend Vikki (Sarah Paulson), Barbara sets out to promote her book. To do that she must be interviewed by the biggest big city journalist of them all, Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor).

Catcher is described numerous times throughout the film as a woman's man, a man's man, a man about town, someone that is difficult to pin down. His editor and best friend Peter (David Hyde Pierce) has promised that he would interview Barbara, but he keeps putting her off until finally she says no to him. However, after Barbara's book becomes a hit, it's Catcher who must chase down Barbara. His ingenious plan is an expose about how Barbara doesn't live up to the ideals of her book; career over love, casual sex over marriage, chocolate over sex. Catcher pretends to be an astronaut and fools Barbara into falling in love with him, but at the same time he finds himself falling for her for real.

The film isn't as predictable as it sounds, the final 30 minutes especially holds a number of head turning plot twists so outlandish, they’re outright hysterical. I was going to complain about how preposterous these twists were until I finally got the joke. In Down with Love, Peyton Reed shows the ingenuity he lacked in his debut film, the cheerleader comedy Bring It On. Reed's period recreation of early sixties Hollywood is flawless from the Technicolor costumes right down to the painted backdrops that stand in for 60's New York. Props also to cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth for capturing the Cinemascope glory of the Doris Day-Rock Hudson movies that inspired Down With Love.

Though Zellweger and McGregor don't exactly set the screen on fire, they capture the chaste naughtiness that marked the film’s which Down With Love is modeled on. Zellweger and McGregor's best scene actually comes during the credits when they sing and dance, something each did quite well in Chicago and Moulin Rouge respectively. The film’s soundtrack, which includes the stars duet on "Here's To Love" also features a little Sinatra and Judy Garland singing the film’s title song.

Down With Love is the movie equivalent of chocolate, sweet and delicious and utterly superfluous. It's all so light it floats off the screen, but that is exactly what it should do. Down With Love is a sweet and cheesy bit over the top fun. It’s an improvement on the rote, romantic-comedy genre that in recent years has been repeating itself into oblivion.

Movie Review New in Town

New In Town (2009) 

Directed by C. Jay Cox

Written by C. Jay Cox and Ken Rance

Starring Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr, J.K Simmons, Frances Conroy 

Release Date January 30th, 2009

Published January 29th, 2009 

I find as I grow in the job of film critic that I am getting a little softer. I am growing more tolerant of some things and less tolerant of others. In my fiery early years I likely would have torched a little movie like New In Town simply because I could. I wouldn't have done it merely for sport, I would have had good solid reasons for torching it. The point being that I would have walked into the movie with an attitude and perhaps been less tolerant of overly familiar elements of the rom-com. 

In fact, I have a number of good reasons to torch the film right now. But I am not going to. With experience I like to think comes wisdom and my newfound wisdom tells me that I would have been far too hard on this harmless forgettable little formula romance. Trashing New In Town for being a formula rom-com would be like squashing a bug with a rocket launcher.

Cute as a button Renee Zellweger stars in New In Town as Lucy, your prototypical fish out of water. The water here being New Ulm, Minnesota, a frozen corner of the world that is none too welcoming to a gal born and bred in Miami. Lucy has come to New Ulm to take over the management of a local food producing plant and fire half the staff.

If you can't guess that the hard hearted city gal falls for the small town charmers like Siohban Fallon's Blanche Gunderson or J.K Simmons as the crotchety plant manager, you just aren't trying. Throw in Harry Connick Jr. as the obligatory love interest and you can really say you've seen the movie just from knowing the cast.

Nothing in New In Town breaks the mold of your typical rom-com. This is where I would have started lobbing bombs in years past but not this time. Sure, I knew every step of this movie before walking in the door of the theater, the plot has all the depth of a 2 minute film trailer.  What experience has taught me however, is that with rom-coms, it's not about how cliched the story is but rather how enjoyably enacted those familiar elements are. A well executed formula romantic comedy can still be a good movie if the cast is likable enough to make you forget the overly familiar elements. 

New In Town succeeds, ever so slightly, due to Renee Zellweger being cute as a button with charm to spare. Zellweger is backed up by a charming supporting cast of veteran character actors capable of stealing a scene or two, especially the brilliant J.K Simmons, the conscience and the soul of New in Town and a guy who is impossible not to admire. The romance between Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. doesn't exactly set the screen on fire but, because of Zellweger, it has just enough charm for me to care about it. 

Now, it's highly likely that you will have forgotten about New In Town by the time you reach the parking lot after seeing it. But, while you are watching New in Town, I imagine that you will smile, you will laugh genuinely and a few times and the movie will never offend you with any low brow humor, stupidity, or insulting twists of the plot. It may be a formula rom-com but it is a formula rom-com starring a rising superstar in Renee Zellweger. Her appeal alone is enough to life the film to a mild recommendation from me. 

Yes, New in Town is a dumb little fairy tale romance that aspires to be nothing more than a minor distraction. That said, how can I trash a film for accomplishing exactly what it set out to accomplish? This review may not be enough to encourage you to see New In Town but I am not here to discourage you. The film will earn every dollar it gets this weekend.

Movie Review: Chicago

Chicago (2002)

Directed by Rob Marshall 

Written by Bill Condon 

Starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Taye Diggs

Release Date December 27th, 2002 

Published December 26th, 2002 

The play Chicago dates back to 1924, a non musical play inspired by a pair of real life murder cases in which woman were accused of murdering their lovers. It was adapted for the screen two times, including a version called Roxie Hart starring Ginger Rogers. It wasn't until 1974 that Chicago the play became Chicago the musical. Bob Fosse and partner Fred Ebb took the story and added sensational song and dance, and Fosse's trademark raunchiness, to make a play that while popular, it wasn't initially the massive hit many had expected. 

In 1996 a revival of Fosse's Chicago, the musical was brought back to Broadway, but slightly tweaked. With a little less raunch and a slightly less cynical tone, the all new Chicago the musical was now a smash hit. The revival went on to earn 9 Tony Award nominations and win 7 Tony Awards over. Now, 6 years later, it is the revival version of Chicago that comes to the silver screen and unfortunately, they may have done better with Fosse's version.

Set in 1924, Chicago centers on a pair of scandalous murders that splash across the front pages of Chicago's trashy newspapers. One case is that of a chorus girl named Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta Jones), who shows up at a jazz club for a performance a little late and without her dance partner. Velma and her sister Veronica were becoming famous for their double act, but on this night, it is just Velma on stage performing their signature routine to the tune of All That Jazz. We quickly realize as the police arrive that Velma has murdered her sister after finding her in bed with her husband.

In the audience on that night as Velma was taken away by the cops, is a starry eyed, dim bulb blonde named Roxie Hart (Renee Zellwegger). At the club with a man who is not her husband, Roxie is expecting her boyfriend will speak to the manager about putting her onstage to perform. Cut to a month later Velma is in jail and Roxie is still waiting for her man to make her a star. However, when he admits he made up the story just to sleep with her, Roxie shoots and kills him.

When Roxie's husband Amos (John C. Reilly) comes home from work she convinces him the man was a burglar and tries to get Amos to take the fall. However after Amos finds out that the burglar is a guy he knows he changes his tune and Roxie is off to murderesses’ row where she will share a cellblock with the celebrated murderers of the day, husband killers whose brief glimpses of fame have dimmed as the gallows loomed over them. Among those celebrated killers is none other than Velma Kelly. 

Though Roxie tries to insinuate herself into Velma's world behind bars, the two are not friends. Velma only sees Roxie as someone trying to take her spotlight. Roxie meanwhile, after being rejected by Velma manages to convince her idiot husband to hire Velma's high profile lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). With this move by Roxie, it becomes a war between Velma and Roxie to see who can make bigger headlines and hold the attention of their glory hound lawyer the longest. Billy Flynn's only interested in whichever client is on the front page that day. 

Director Rob Marshall, a veteran of the stage making his film debut, crafts a quickly paced and exuberant film that combines the best of old time Hollywood glamour with modern panache and star power. Though unlikely choices for the leading roles, Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones's star quality helps to nail their temptress roles with surprisingly strong singing and dancing, aided no doubt by Marshall's quick cut style.

The biggest surprise in Chicago however, is Richard Gere. Forget surprise, Gere is a revelation. Though his singing could use some work, Gere's vibrant enthusiasm and energy carries you past any reservations you may have about his singing. In his best moments, Gere blows everyone else off the screen. In particular, a courtroom tap-dance near the end of the film is truly spectacular and in a film with a number of standout numbers, Gere manages to craft best performance of the film.

I have a few issues with this Broadway adaptation however, issues that keep me from fully embracing the film as a truly great movie. The first issue is the staging of the musical performance. All of the musical numbers are bound to Broadway style proscenium stages. Director Rob Marshall binds the movie to the stage and fails to take advantage of the dynamic film medium for staging. Marshall seems to think he is tied to the Broadway stage interpretation of each song.

Then there is the film’s tone, which wants to be bawdy comedy but can't go as far as it would like in fear of offending the family audiences. Adhering closely to the toned down revival version of Chicago, the film contains little of Fosse's raunchiness that marked his 1974 version. What Fosse's version did was frame the sensationalistic stories with bawdy comedy and a masterful turn of innuendo. There is little of that fun in this Chicago, save for Queen Latifah's "What Mama Wants.” The comedy in Chicago never finds a rhythm to match the music.

What made Fosse's version interesting, if not great, was its ability to drag the audience into the gutter with its characters. The raunchiness and the fearlessness of the characters was transgressive and exciting. With this toned down version of Chicago, you don't get the thrill that Fosse intended. Instead it's like watching the OJ Simpson trial, you can't help but admire the sheer audacity of Johnny Cochran, but you still hate OJ and you likely weren't rooting for him. 

In Chicago you can't help but admire Gere's Billy Quinn for his Razz Ma Tazz three ring circus, but Zellwegger's Roxie Hart is still a terrible person. This fact about Roxie is confirmed by the film’s only truly sympathetic character, John C. Reilly's Amos Hart. Sympathetic or just pathetic, Amos' big number "Mr. Cellophane" is the films one moment of emotional involvement. The rest of Chicago lingers somewhere in an uncanny valley of toned down dark humor, bloody murder crossed with big brassy musical numbers, all pitched to reach the back of the theater. It's a sloppy tone the film never wrestles into cohesion. 

Comparing Chicago to a similar but far superior movie such as Moulin Rouge would be unfair. Baz Luhrmann is a veteran filmmaker who is aware of all the tools available to him in the film medium. In Moulin Rouge, Luhrmann was working from material of his own creation in a realm he's comfortable creating in. Rob Marshall is still learning about the difference between directing a film and directing for the stage and I believe he has a bright future in Hollywood. Chicago is a good start, a flawed but brave attempt at a big screen musical that demonstrates Marshall's promise as a director while coming up short on the promise of the movie itself.