Chicago
Miramax Films | Release Date: December 27, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 39 Critic Reviews
Positive:
32
Mixed:
5
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
The singing and dancing in this Chicago are uniformly splendid, right down to Gere's tap dancing. The high wit and dark eroticism Marshall brings to the famous "Cell Block Tango" number are matchless. Read full review
100
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
With its eye-popping color, bold personality and snazzy tunes, Chicago is a breathtaking experience. Read full review
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Chicago is the zingiest, most inventive movie of its kind since "Cabaret." Read full review
100
SlateDavid Edelstein
Isn't just the most explosively entertaining movie musical in a couple of decades. It's going to be the most influential: the one that inspires the rebirth of the Hollywood musical. Read full review
100
Washington PostStephen Hunter
A superior adaptation that bypasses the Ann Reinking version now on Broadway. Read full review
100
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Chicago, based on Bob Fosse's Broadway smash, kills. Read full review
100
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Sophisticated, brash, sardonic, completely joyful in its execution. It gives anyone who ever loved movie musicals, and lamented their demise, something to live for. Read full review
100
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Not since the 1972 'Cabaret' has there been a movie musical this stirring, intelligent and exciting. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The movie is a total blast, and what a surprise. Read full review
100
USA TodayMike Clark
More than any other example in recent memory, Chicago shows how much the element of surprise is missing from today's movies. Read full review
100
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The usually quiet Zellweger is the revelation: Like her character, the actress seems happily amazed to find herself crossing a polished dance floor, sheathed in silk and diamonds, having the naughty, self-glorifying time of her life. Read full review
100
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
At times, Chicago has the feel of a revue, with the major characters taking turns at their own show-stopping numbers. If it's too much of a good thing, I say, bring it on. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Freshly transplanted from the stage, is a thrilling ode to the intertwined glories of sex, showmanship, and lying: what the film calls ''the old razzle-dazzle.'' Read full review
91
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A funny, rousing crowd-pleaser. Read full review
90
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Who would have expected Ms. Zellweger --- and Miramax -- to come through in a musical? And it's one of the few Christmas entertainments to run under two hours. Who couldn't love that? Read full review
90
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Exuberantly theatrical yet every inch a movie, and some numbers ("The Cell Block Tango") are so entertaining you might want to applaud. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Marshall, a veteran stage director/choreographer who proved his cinematic skills with his television adaptations of the musicals Cinderella and Annie, does a superb job here, beautifully contrasting the gritty storyline with the hard-edged musical numbers. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Delicious. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Good, solid entertainment. Read full review
88
New York PostJonathan Foreman
For some reason, the people who make modern musicals don't like to let you watch dancers dance -- there are still too few moments when you get to enjoy choreography from a dancer's hands to her feet. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Throw bouquets at Marshall, who instead of dissecting it to death, neatly resurrects the Hollywood musical. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is a dazzling song and dance extravaganza, with just enough words to support the music and allow everyone to catch their breath between songs. Read full review
88
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
An exuberant, appropriately cynical reinvention of the stalwart Broadway hit that deftly straddles the line between old-fashioned Hollywood musicals and experimental concoctions like last year's "Moulin Rouge." Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyLisa Kennedy
Chicago is that rare thing: a nutritious hard candy. Read full review
80
VarietyDavid Rooney
First-time feature director Rob Marshall and Oscar-winning "Gods and Monsters" screenwriter Bill Condon have spun the dark tale of two murdering floozies into a widely palatable entertainment, but the long-gestating film comes up short in rhythm and personality. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
Has so much razzle-dazzle that viewers may end up both raised and dazed. It's remorselessly inventive, trying anything fast and sassy to keep you watching. In other words, it's the most honest display of showpeople's need to be noticed this side of a Madonna concert. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Zeta-Jones can belt out her numbers, Zellweger can purr hers, and Gere-a musician who played his own cornet solos in "The Cotton Club"-can sell his songs and even dance a spiffy little tap dance. They're better than you'd expect-and so is the movie. Read full review
70
The DissolveNoel Murray
The original musical holds up well, and Marshall and Condon’s adaption doesn’t wreck it. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
By the end, though, the production is engulfed by barely controlled frenzy -- all decor and no air, music as lo-cal ear candy, scenes as merchandise to be sold, people as two-dimensional props.
70
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Non-musical scenes that move the narrative forward are staged realistically, while the lavish production numbers reflect the star-struck imagination of one-time chorine Roxie, for whom all the world ought to be a stage. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
The energy of the performances and John Kander and Fred Ebb's enduring score push the musical scenes and the entire film over any hurdle--yes, even including that misbegotten casting of Gere. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
It's Zeta-Jones who keeps you watching from start to finish -- You'd have to go back to Joan Crawford in her hungry prime, in films like "Rain" and "The Women," to find another female film star who grabs hold of the screen with such ferocity. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
I seem to be in a distinct minority in finding the satire toothless, obvious, and insufferably glib -- Still, I found genuine pleasure in watching Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, and John C. Reilly try their hands at singing and dancing. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
I realize that Fosse's dark sizzle might seem a bit dated today, but surely something halfway snazzy could have been devised for this movie. It's toothless. Read full review
50
Village VoiceDennis Lim
It's hard not to wish that Chicago had taken place inside a more imaginative head. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The trouble with Chicago is the sense it conveys that nothing is really at stake -- there's no moral or ethical question that can't be turned into toe-tapping fun. Read full review
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The net effect of the incessant dazzle is depressing. Read full review
30
Film ThreatPhil Hall
Chicago is a failure, but that should not come as a surprise. Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the original 1975 Broadway production, was long baffled in making a film of the show and eventually gave up trying. Read full review
30
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
The only player to conquer Chicago is Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is no Charisse in her motions but who gets by on a full tank of unleaded oomph. [6 January 2003, p. 90]
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