Chicago (2002 film)

Chicago
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRob Marshall
Screenplay byBill Condon
Based on
Produced byMartin Richards
Starring
CinematographyDion Beebe
Edited byMartin Walsh
Music by
Production
companies
  • Producer Circle Co.
  • Zadan/Meron Production
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release date
  • December 27, 2002 (2002-12-27)
Running time
113 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[2]
Box office$306.8 million[3]

Chicago is a 2002 American musical black crime comedy film based on the 1975 stage musical which in turn originated in the 1926 play. It explores the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Chicago during the Jazz Age.[4] The film stars an ensemble cast led by Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere. Chicago centers on Roxie Hart (Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), two murderers who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. Roxie, a housewife, and Velma, a vaudevillian, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Rob Marshall, who also choreographed the film, and was adapted by screenwriter Bill Condon, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Chicago received critical acclaim, with particular praise for the performances of the cast. The film went on to win six Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture, making it the first musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1968.[5] For her performance, Zeta-Jones won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress.[6] Zellweger won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, and Gere won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Chicago was the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year domestically in the United States.

  1. ^ "CHICAGO (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. December 12, 2002. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  2. ^ "Chicago (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (December 27, 2002). "Movie Review: Chicago (2002)". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Gans, Andrew; Simonson, Robert (March 24, 2003). ""Chicago" Wins Oscar for Best Picture". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "Catherine Zeta-Jones Recalls Winning Oscar in 2003 Just 10 Days Before Giving Birth to Daughter Carys". Peoplemag. Retrieved June 4, 2024.