A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" can go in this screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago, originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. In the mid-'20s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a small-time chorus dancer married to a well-meaning dunderhead named Amos (John C. Reilly). Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley (Dominic West), a smooth talker who insists he can make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far for his own good, and when she realizes that his promises are empty, she becomes enraged and murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy vaudeville star who used to perform with her sister until Velma discovered that her sister had been sleeping with her husband. Velma shot them both dead, and, after scheming prison matron "Mama" Morton hooks Velma up with hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Velma becomes the new Queen of the scandal sheets. Roxie is just shrewd enough to realize that her poor fortune could also bring her fame, so she convinces Amos to also hire Flynn. Soon Flynn is splashing Roxie's story -- or, more accurately, a highly melodramatic revision of Roxie's story -- all over the gutter press, and Roxy and Velma are soon battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. A project that had been moving from studio to studio since the musical opened on Broadway in 1973, Chicago also features guest appearances by Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski. Mark Deming, Rovi
- Genre: Musical
- Category Musical Drama, Prison Film
- Theme: Crimes of Passion, Members of the Press, Lawyers, Scandals and Cover-Ups, Femmes Fatales, Big Break
- Run Time: 01 hr 53 min
- Language: French, Spanish
- Subtitle Language: Spanish
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: DVD
- Release Date: April 15, 2011
- Lead Actor: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Renée Zellweger
- Supporting Actor: Mya Harrison, Susan Misner, Sean Wayne Doyle, Deidre Goodwin, Jayne Eastwood, Robbie Rox, Roman Podhora, Scott Wise, Ken Ard, Dominic West, Colm Feore, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu, Marc Calamia, Ekaterina Chtchelkanova, Joey Pizzi, Rob Smith, Cliff Saunders, Denise Faye, Bruce Beaton, Christine Baranski, Steve Behal
- Director: Rob Marshall
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (6), Golden Globe Awards (2)
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Pictur, 2002, Renée Zellweger
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, 2002, Richard Gere
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Picture, 2002, Martin Richards
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 2002, Martin Walsh
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Art Direction, 2002, John Myhre, Gordon Sim
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actress, 2002, Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Sound, 2002, David Lee, Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Costume Design, 2002, Colleen Atwood
- Nominations: Academy Awards (7), Golden Globe Awards (5)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Director, 2002, Rob Marshall
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2002, Bill Condon
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Ro, 2002, Queen Latifah
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor, 2002, John C. Reilly
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Cinematography, 2002, Dion Beebe
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Song, 2002, Fred Ebb, John Kander
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actress, 2002, Renée Zellweger
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Director, 2002, Rob Marshall
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, 2002, John C. Reilly
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Pictur, 2002, Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actress, 2002, Queen Latifah
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actress, 2002, Renée Zellweger
