Parents need to know that this Academy Award winner has some strong language and sexual references and situations, briefly explicit. A possible pregnancy by a lover is an element of the plot. All characters are amoral, even sleazy in this satire. Lots and lots of smoking. The "merry murderesses" discuss their killings without remorse. The one innocent character is hanged, shown in shadow.
Positive messages:Glorifies the "merry murderesses," but in a very clever, satirical way -- too clever for young audiences to grasp. Velma and Roxy are obsessed with fame and kill without remorse. Billy is the epitome of a slimy lawyer out for himself. The press are easily misled. However, the cast is racially diverse and Queen Latifah plays a strong female character.
Violence:One song is about murders commited that landed women in the slammer. One woman says she killed her husband simply because he popped his gum too loudly. An innocent woman is hanged, shown in shadow.
Sex:Roxy claims she was being raped when she shot her lover, then faked a pregnancy. We see her scantily clad in bed. Dancers wear very little for most musical numbers.
This Musical is a great, but dark, portrayal of murder, fame and 1920s Chicago. Very good and not too adult - the biggest concern would have to be the swearing/adult themes
Great for older teens. Violence and sexuality a bit heavy for anyone under 16
Great way to scare the teenage girls with the scenes of jail life. Good movie to display to teeneagers that woman criminals aren't any different than male criminal. A criminal is a criminal and murder is murder. Queen Latifah's performance and Richard Geere's dancing were worth the watch alone. Great musical - well done.
The acting was mediocre, with only the charismatic Queen Latifah breaking the mold, the musical numbers were very interesting, but all the sexed up dresses and strong language takes away from what this movie is supposed to be: a lighthearted musical. Not appropriate for children under 13. Other than that, it was quite amusing and at times extremely clever.
EXCELLENT movie, but quite sexual in some parts (and violent) so unfortunately this is a musical which will have to wait for my kids until they are older. Too bad because it's a fabulous movie with amazing dancing, singing & cool story.
Chicago is great. Being my favorite movie aside, this is a rousing, fun and overall very entertaining film. Renée Zellweger gives a career-high performance as the sweet.eyed Roxie, but it's Catherine Zeta-Jones who infuses Chicago with all the sass it needs. Violence, sex, language, smoking and drinking, but it's one hell of a ride.
Chicago opened up with such promise and closed with such utter failure. The first few musical numbers blew me off my feet and I was engaged in the story until the numbers got a bit old. Then the whole twisted story got old. A story bent upon women acting like criminals and men acting like jerks. I could not care less about these one-dimensional characters. The whole thing is a tease. The biggest tease? It WON Best Picture of the year over The Lord of the Rings and even Roman Polanski's WW2 drama The Pianist. A disgrace of a musical. Note to parents: The story portrays women who commit murder as darlings, not a very good message to send to all the teenage girls watching. There is only one good-hearted character in the story, but he cannot redeem the trashy message this hoax of a film seems intent on conveying.
Again, a personal favorite. The music is something that has to be heard at least once in your life, and the vocalists in this movie are especially talented. I never knew John C. Reilly could sing before watching this!!
However, there isn't much to say for the morality promoted in this film. It definitely has a lot to do with corruption in the legal system of the time period and the anything-goes morality, but...I guess it could open up a lot of room for discussion?
I love this movie.
THE GOOD: The acting, camera work, singing, dancing, characters and story are all excellent.
THE BAD: The violence, the way the law is so easily cheated (though it is realistic). Also, if your kids can't handle sexy stuff (striptease, minor sex scenes) or language ("Single my ass!"), pass.
For something that is so inappropriate, this is one of the most well-executed musicals I have ever seen. Stage musicals never compare to movie musicals, but this is so incredibly good. Wonderful music, wonderful dancing... perfection. And to think Catherine Zeta-Jones was pregnant during the filming of this! Wow...I am proud to be a part of the same business of these ladies. THEATRE ROCKS. Such a wonderful film. It definitely deserved that Best Picture Academy Award it won. :-)
Sinful and highly entertaining - Worth it for smart teens.
While not R, it is quite mature for a PG-13. There is some violence with blood. plenty of swearing, and lots of sex. The first 10 minnutes are the worst. A charcter runs into a building and washes her hands off because there is blood on them. She is arrested though. Then, there is a graphic sex sence, it lasts about 30 seconds, but it is too extreme. Then, another character is shot. A charcter claims to be pregnant to get out of murder. A song is about how women killed their husbands.
I am the type of person that always thinks the source material is always better than a movie adaptation, and this movie is no exception. Said that, I think that this is one of the finest examples of an adaptation that works perfectly. There is chemistry between the actors, they all know what they're doing and it all works well together. Yes, the move certainly is overly sexual in nature and it someway glorifies selfishness and murder, but it's all in the name of satire and entertainment. Lastly, being from New York and living two blocks from Broadway and 7th, I almost live for the theatre and I have to say that nothing compares to Bebe Newirth singing "All That Jazz" on the stage
I Liked this movie, but it has some content that's for older kids, because some will not appercaite it. It has some amoral satire and sexual innuendo that's not apporaite for young kids. The acting and singing is incredible in this movie!