(Chicago, Rob Marshall, 2002)
I realize that I just wrote a Beyond the List post not that long ago, but I'm still kind of easing out of the funk caused by Airplane!, and I honestly spent most of this time believing that Chicago actually was on The List (which it should be, along with The Sound of Music), so I'm just going to write this post now because I feel like it. I guess that's the joy of being the sole entity responsible for this blog. When I want to write about something that's not on The List, or write an entire post that has absolutely nothing to do with the film that it is ostensibly about, I can. It's pretty awesome.
So... Chicago. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this film is single-handedly responsible for the movie musical revival that happened in the last decade. A lot of people (mostly people who hate musicals) would probably argue that that's a bad thing. Being the crazed musical lover that I am, I think it's a great thing. Chicago proved that musicals could still be relevant in the 21st century, and did it with a bullet, going on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. I am of the opinion that Chicago opened the door for movies like Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray, and for that I am deeply grateful. Of course, it also allowed for the film versions of Rent and The Producers, which we probably could have done without (to be completely honest, I like both of those films, but neither is as good as its on-stage counterpart). The reawakened interest in the movie musical allowed me to see musicals that I otherwise would not have been able to. I did eventually realize my dream of seeing Phantom of the Opera live on Broadway, but the film versions of Chicago and Hairspray remain the only incarnations that I have seen. Listening to the soundtracks by themselves is all well and good, but it's nice to have some visuals and story to go along with those great songs.
Chicago came at a great time for me personally. I'd always been a fan of musicals (as a 3rd grader I loved Grease and could not understand why "Summer Lovin'" was not an appropriate song choice for my school talent show), but my love for them really developed when I was in high school. In fact, my increased interest in musicals was probably caused by Chicago, which came out during my freshman year. I remember going to see it with my mom and being taken in by the spectacle of it all, much like Roxy Hart in Billy Flynn's courtroom. It was awe-inspiring. Later that year I saw my school's production of Footloose and my musical love took off even more. By my senior year most of my CD collection consisted of original cast recordings, and I could easily have sung you every song from Little Shop of Horrors or Urinetown. Since then my obsession with musical theater has cooled a little, but rewatching Chicago brought me back to those years I spent in my room, belting "Defying Gravity" along with Idina Menzel and dreaming of the day that I'd be on Broadway. It was a dream that I ultimately realized would never come true, due to my mediocre singing voice and complete lack of acting ability, but I still enjoyed watching Chicago again and revisiting those semi-forgotten dreams.
Another thing that was fun to recall was the thrill I experienced during that year's Academy Awards. For the first time in my memory, the film that I liked, that I wanted to win, actually won. Before 2002 I had rarely seen any of the Best Picture nominees, let alone had any opinion about them. The year before I had foolishly rooted for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, thinking that it actually had some sort of chance against the likes of Moulin Rouge! and A Beautiful Mind. The only other year a film I'd liked (or even seen) had won was in 1998 when Titanic took the top prize, and I was really only rooting for it because I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was cute, and it was the first time any movie had ever made me cry (which was pretty much only because the cute guy had died).
My point is that Chicago winning Best Picture was something of an awakening for me. Even though I hadn't seen any of the other nominated films except for, once again, Lord of the Rings, I had felt that Chicago was a great film that was worthy of recognition. For the first time I wasn't just a viewer, I was a critic. It was a feeling of maturity and adulthood that I had rarely felt before. I had a strong sense of validation when, together, Kirk and Michael Douglas announced the winner. My opinion and critique no longer felt like the immature comments of a child, but instead the reflections of someone who actually knew what they were talking about. It was invigorating.
It's a shame that Chicago isn't on The List. Perhaps my judgment is clouded by the personal connection to the film that I just recounted, but I truly feel that it is an important part of film history. It is exactly what a Best Picture should be: excellent on every level. Everything from the acting to the art direction, the directing to the costume design, the cinematography to the choreography, is brilliant. I've given up on trying to find things that are wrong with it because I just can't do it. Maybe I've fallen for the old razzle dazzle, but it just feels perfect.
So... Chicago. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this film is single-handedly responsible for the movie musical revival that happened in the last decade. A lot of people (mostly people who hate musicals) would probably argue that that's a bad thing. Being the crazed musical lover that I am, I think it's a great thing. Chicago proved that musicals could still be relevant in the 21st century, and did it with a bullet, going on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. I am of the opinion that Chicago opened the door for movies like Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray, and for that I am deeply grateful. Of course, it also allowed for the film versions of Rent and The Producers, which we probably could have done without (to be completely honest, I like both of those films, but neither is as good as its on-stage counterpart). The reawakened interest in the movie musical allowed me to see musicals that I otherwise would not have been able to. I did eventually realize my dream of seeing Phantom of the Opera live on Broadway, but the film versions of Chicago and Hairspray remain the only incarnations that I have seen. Listening to the soundtracks by themselves is all well and good, but it's nice to have some visuals and story to go along with those great songs.
Chicago came at a great time for me personally. I'd always been a fan of musicals (as a 3rd grader I loved Grease and could not understand why "Summer Lovin'" was not an appropriate song choice for my school talent show), but my love for them really developed when I was in high school. In fact, my increased interest in musicals was probably caused by Chicago, which came out during my freshman year. I remember going to see it with my mom and being taken in by the spectacle of it all, much like Roxy Hart in Billy Flynn's courtroom. It was awe-inspiring. Later that year I saw my school's production of Footloose and my musical love took off even more. By my senior year most of my CD collection consisted of original cast recordings, and I could easily have sung you every song from Little Shop of Horrors or Urinetown. Since then my obsession with musical theater has cooled a little, but rewatching Chicago brought me back to those years I spent in my room, belting "Defying Gravity" along with Idina Menzel and dreaming of the day that I'd be on Broadway. It was a dream that I ultimately realized would never come true, due to my mediocre singing voice and complete lack of acting ability, but I still enjoyed watching Chicago again and revisiting those semi-forgotten dreams.
Another thing that was fun to recall was the thrill I experienced during that year's Academy Awards. For the first time in my memory, the film that I liked, that I wanted to win, actually won. Before 2002 I had rarely seen any of the Best Picture nominees, let alone had any opinion about them. The year before I had foolishly rooted for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, thinking that it actually had some sort of chance against the likes of Moulin Rouge! and A Beautiful Mind. The only other year a film I'd liked (or even seen) had won was in 1998 when Titanic took the top prize, and I was really only rooting for it because I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was cute, and it was the first time any movie had ever made me cry (which was pretty much only because the cute guy had died).
My point is that Chicago winning Best Picture was something of an awakening for me. Even though I hadn't seen any of the other nominated films except for, once again, Lord of the Rings, I had felt that Chicago was a great film that was worthy of recognition. For the first time I wasn't just a viewer, I was a critic. It was a feeling of maturity and adulthood that I had rarely felt before. I had a strong sense of validation when, together, Kirk and Michael Douglas announced the winner. My opinion and critique no longer felt like the immature comments of a child, but instead the reflections of someone who actually knew what they were talking about. It was invigorating.
It's a shame that Chicago isn't on The List. Perhaps my judgment is clouded by the personal connection to the film that I just recounted, but I truly feel that it is an important part of film history. It is exactly what a Best Picture should be: excellent on every level. Everything from the acting to the art direction, the directing to the costume design, the cinematography to the choreography, is brilliant. I've given up on trying to find things that are wrong with it because I just can't do it. Maybe I've fallen for the old razzle dazzle, but it just feels perfect.
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