Starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs, Colm Feore, Sean McCann, Chita Rivera, Lucy Liu, Domenic West. Directed by Rob Marshall. Roxie Hart (Zellweger) is an outwardly innocent performer who dreams of singing and dancing her way out of her dead-end life. Roxie's wishes she could be vaudeville performer Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones). Roxie gets her wish when both land in jail for separate murder charges. Under the crooked care of the prison Matron Morton (Latifah), Roxie meets up with legendary lawyer Billy Flynn (Gere). He agrees to take Roxie's case for a hefty fee. Roxie's career explodes, basquing in her infamy and hoping to cash in on it after she beats the charge (she hopes). This all occurs to the unhappiness of Velma, but the clever Miss Kelly has a few surprises left for her second act to regain the spotlight. There's nothing really wrong with Chicago. The performances are quite good, with all three stars quite solid as singers and dancers. Renee Zellweger is best, as the ambitious nobody who longs for fame. I am not a big fan of Richard Gere, but he is, I kid you not, very good as the fast-talking, manipulative attorney who is happy to get people off as long as he's paid very well. Catherine Zeta Jones, the only one with singing and dancing experience, is fine I suppose but her scenes didn't do much for me. The story also contains nice observations about the nature of fame, how people can do and often get away with horrible acts, and even thrive after them. The problem I have with this film is twofold. First, all the characters are stereotypes. I know the story is meant to be cynical, which is not necessarily a bad thing. And there are some nice O.J. Simpson echoes during the trial process, such as where Billy Flynn suggests offering a reward for finding the real killer. But I never felt any connection to any of them, save perhaps John C. Reilly's sucker of a husband who is cheated on and used by his cheating wife. Secondly, there is not one memorable song in the whole bunch that I could remember after I left the theatre, although several of the musical scenes are beautifully choreographed. Chicago is well made, and contains some fine performances, but with all the good movies out this holiday season, this one for me is far down the list and I can't recommend it. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page