Chicago (2002 film)

Chicago is a 2002 American musical crime comedy film based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name which in turn originated in the 1926 play of the same name. 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
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rob Marshall
Screenplay by	Bill Condon
Based on	Chicago by Bob Fosse Fred Ebb Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Produced by	Martin Richards
Starring	Renée Zellweger Catherine Zeta-Jones Richard Gere Queen Latifah John C. Reilly Lucy Liu Colm Feore
Cinematography	Dion Beebe
Edited by	Martin Walsh
Music by	John Kander Danny Elfman Steve Bartek
Production companies	Producer Circle Co. Zadan/Meron Production
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date	December 27, 2002 (2002-12-27)
Running time	113 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$45 million[2]
Box office	$306.8 million[3]

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.

Plot

In 1924, housewife Roxie Hart watches vaudeville star Velma Kelly perform ("Overture/All That Jazz") at The Onyx, a Chicago nightclub. Seeking stardom, Roxie begins an affair with furniture salesman Fred Casely, who claims to know the manager. After the show, Velma is arrested for killing her husband and sister upon catching them in bed together. A month later, Casely admits to Roxie that he lied about his connections in order to sleep with her. Enraged, she shoots him dead. She convinces her gullible husband, Amos, to take the fall by telling him she killed a burglar in self-defense. However, when evidence of Roxie's infidelity is uncovered, Amos recants and tells the police that Casely was dead when he arrived home ("Funny Honey"). Roxie is arrested, with District Attorney Martin Harrison declaring she faces execution by hanging.

At Cook County Jail, Roxie is sent to Murderess' Row, supervised by the corrupt Matron "Mama" Morton ("When You're Good to Mama"). She learns the backstories of the other women there, including her idol Velma ("Cell Block Tango"), who rebuffs her attempts at friendship. On Morton's advice, Roxie engages Velma's lawyer, the brilliant Billy Flynn ("All I Care About"). Flynn and Roxie manipulate the press, reinventing Roxie as an originally virtuous Southern woman corrupted by the city's decadent nightlife; she claims that she had the affair with Casely because Amos was always working, but repented and left Casely for Amos, and Casely jealously attacked her ("We Both Reached for the Gun"). The press believe the story; praised by the public as a tragic heroine, Roxie becomes an overnight sensation ("Roxie"). Velma, unhappy at losing the public's attention, tries to convince Roxie to join her act, replacing her murdered sister ("I Can't Do It Alone"), but Roxie, now the more popular of the two rivals, snubs her.

Meanwhile, when wealthy heiress Kitty Baxter is arrested for murdering her husband and his two mistresses, the press and Flynn instantly shift their focus to her. To Velma's surprise, Roxie quickly regains the spotlight by claiming pregnancy. Amos is ignored by the press ("Mister Cellophane"), and Flynn, to generate more sympathy for Roxie, convinces him that the child is Casely's, and that he should divorce Roxie in the midst of her predicament. Roxie decides to fire Flynn, believing she can now win on her own. However, when Katalin Helinszki, a Hungarian woman on Murderess' Row (the only inmate who insists on her own innocence), becomes the first woman in Cook County history to be executed by hanging, Roxie realizes the gravity of the situation and rehires Flynn.

Roxie's trial begins, and Flynn turns it into a media spectacle ("Razzle Dazzle") with the help of sensationalist newspaper reporters and radio personality Mary Sunshine. Flynn discredits witnesses, manipulates evidence and even stages a public reconciliation between Amos and Roxie when she claims the child is his. The trial seems to be going well for Roxie until Mama and Velma are listening to the trial and find Roxie's diary, and bring it to court, reading incriminating entries in exchange for amnesty in her own case. Flynn discredits the diary, implying that Harrison was the one who planted the evidence ("A Tap Dance"). Roxie is acquitted, but her fame is eclipsed moments later when another woman, who had also shot her own husband, shoots her lawyer outside the courthouse. Flynn admits to Roxie that he tampered with her diary himself, in order to incriminate the DA and also free two clients simultaneously. Amos remains loyal and excited to be a father, but Roxie cruelly reveals that she faked her pregnancy.

Roxie continues to pursue a vaudeville career, with limited success ("Nowadays"). The similarly unsuccessful Velma reapproaches Roxie to suggest performing together as a double act consisting of two murderers. Roxie initially refuses, but later accepts when Velma points out that they can perform together despite their mutual resentment. The two stage a spectacular performance ("Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag"), receiving a standing ovation from an enthusiastic audience that includes Flynn, Morton, the jurors, and other acquitted murderesses.

Cast

• Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart, a housewife who aspires to be a vaudevillian, and is arrested for the murder of her deceitful paramour Fred Casely. Jennifer Aniston was considered for the role.^[7]
• Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, a charismatic vaudevillian who is arrested for the murders of her husband Charlie and sister Veronica after catching them in bed together
• Richard Gere as Billy Flynn, a duplicitous, greedy, smooth-talking lawyer who turns his clients into celebrities to gain public support for them. Michael Jackson was considered for the role, but Harvey Weinstein heavily objected to the idea of casting Jackson as he felt more attention would be paid to him than the rest of the cast. John Travolta was offered the role but turned it down.^[8]
• Queen Latifah as Matron "Mama" Morton, the corrupt but nurturing matron of the Cook County Jail
• John C. Reilly as Amos Hart, Roxie's naïve, simple-minded but devoted husband
• Lucy Liu as Kitty Baxter, a millionaire heiress who briefly outshines Roxie and Velma when she kills her husband and his two mistresses
• Taye Diggs as the bandleader, a shadowy, mystical master of ceremonies who introduces each song
• Colm Feore as Martin Harrison, the prosecutor in both Roxie and Velma's court cases
• Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine, a sensationalist reporter
• Dominic West as Fred Casely, Roxie's deceitful paramour and murder victim
• Mýa Harrison as Mona, a prisoner on Murderess' Row who killed her artist boyfriend Al Lipschitz via strangulation after discovering he had multiple affairs
• Deidre Goodwin as June, a prisoner on Murderess' Row who killed her husband Wilbur by stabbing him ten times with her kitchen knife after he angrily accused her out of jealousy of having an affair with the milkman
• Denise Faye as Annie, a prisoner on Murderess' Row who killed her boyfriend Ezekiel Young by poisoning his drink with arsenic after discovering he was a Mormon with six different wives
• Ekaterina Chtchelkanova as Katalin Helinszki, a Hungarian prisoner on Murderess' Row who insists she is innocent and does not speak English except for two words: "not guilty"; regardless, she is hanged
• Susan Misner as Liz, a prisoner on Murderess' Row who killed her husband Bernie by shooting him twice in the head after he would not stop popping his gum
• Jayne Eastwood as Mrs. Borusewicz, the Harts' neighbor from across the hall
• Chita Rivera as Nickie, a prostitute. Rivera originated the role of Velma in the Broadway musical Chicago in 1975; her appearance in the film is a cameo.

Production

Development

The film is based on the 1975 Broadway musical of the same name, which ran for 936 performances but was not well received by audiences, partly because of its cynical tone.^[9] A film adaptation of Chicago was to have been the next project for Bob Fosse,^[10] who had directed and choreographed the original 1975 Broadway production and had won an Oscar for his direction of the film version of Cabaret (1972). Although he died before realizing his version, Fosse's distinctive jazz choreography style is evident throughout the 2002 film, and he is thanked in the credits. The minimalist 1996 revival of the musical proved far more successful, having played more than 10,601 performances (as of December 3, 2023), holding records for longest-running musical revival, longest-running American musical on Broadway and second longest-running show in Broadway history. Its runaway success sparked a greater appreciation of the 1975 original production and renewed stalled interest in a long-anticipated film, which incorporates the influences of both productions.^[11]

The original production's musical numbers were staged as vaudeville acts; the film respects this but presents them as cutaway scenes in the mind of the Roxie character, while scenes in "real life" are filmed with a hard-edged grittiness.^[12] The musical itself was based on a 1926 Broadway play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, a journalist who had found her inspiration in two real-life Chicago trials she had covered for the press, about two real-life Jazz-era murderers Beulah Annan (Roxie Hart) and Belva Gaertner (Velma Kelly). The George Abbott-directed production, starring Francine Larrimore and Juliette Crosby, ran for 172 performances at the Music Box Theatre, and within a year was adapted to a film, in which Gaertner herself had a cameo. Chicago was produced by American companies Miramax Films and The Producers Circle in association with the German company Kallis Productions. Roxie Hart, also known as Chicago or Chicago Gal, is a 1942 American comedy film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou and George Montgomery. The film is an adaptation of the 1926 play.

Filming

Principal photography took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The courthouse scene was shot in Osgoode Hall. Other scenes were shot at Queen's Park, the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery, Casa Loma, the Elgin Theatre, Union Station, the Canada Life Building, the Danforth Music Hall, and the Old City Hall.^[13][14]

Music

Main article: Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture

Several songs from the musical's original score were cut from the film, primarily due to the musical numbers being figments of Roxie's imagination. "Tap Dance", "A Little Bit of Good", "I Can't Do It Alone" (reprise), "My Own Best Friend", "I Know a Girl", "Me and My Baby" and "When Velma Takes the Stand" were removed, and "Class", while filmed and recorded for the soundtrack album, is a deleted scene on the DVD, as well as present as part of an "extended version" from the film's 2005 broadcast premiere on NBC. An instrumental of "Me and My Baby" can be heard in its spot, where Roxie enjoys the renewed fame after claiming she's pregnant.

1. "Overture / All That Jazz" – Velma, Company
2. "Funny Honey" – Roxie and Amos
3. "When You're Good to Mama" – Mama
4. "Cell Block Tango" – Velma, Cell Block Girls
5. "All I Care About" – Billy, Chorus Girls
6. "We Both Reached for the Gun" – Billy, Roxie, Mary, Reporters
7. "Roxie" – Roxie, Chorus Boys
8. "I Can't Do It Alone" – Velma
9. "Chicago After Midnight" (score)
10. "Mister Cellophane" – Amos
11. "Razzle Dazzle" – Billy, Company
12. "Class" (deleted scene) – Velma and Mama
13. "A Tap Dance" – Billy
14. "Nowadays" – Roxie
15. "Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag" – Roxie, Velma
16. "I Move On" (end credits) – Roxie, Velma
17. "All That Jazz (reprise)" (end credits) – Velma, Company

Release

Home media

Chicago was released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (under the Miramax Home Entertainment banner) on DVD in Region 1 (USA, Canada, and US territories) on August 19, 2003. It was released in Full Screen and Widescreen. In addition to this release, a two-disc "Razzle Dazzle" Edition was released over two years later on December 20, 2005, and later, on Blu-ray format, in January 2007 and, in an updated release, in May 2011. The release provides a feature-length audio commentary track with director Marshall and screenwriter Condon. There is also a deleted musical number called "Class", performed by Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah.

Reception

Box office

Chicago grossed $170,687,518 in the United States and Canada, as well as $136,089,214 in other territories.^[3] Combined, the film grossed $306,776,732 worldwide,^[3] which was, at the time, the highest gross of any film never to reach #1 or #2 in the weekly box office charts in the North American markets (Canada and United States—where it peaked at #3). Worldwide, Chicago was the highest grossing live action musical with $306 million, a record that was then broken by Mamma Mia!.^[15]

Critical response

The performances of Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah garnered widespread critical acclaim, earning them all Academy Award nominations, with the first being nominated for Best Actress and the latter two being nominated for Best Supporting Actress, with Zeta-Jones winning her category.

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Chicago holds an 86% approval rating, based on 262 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus states: "A rousing and energetic adaptation of the Broadway musical, Chicago succeeds on the level of pure spectacle, but provides a surprising level of depth and humor as well."^[16] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.^[18]

The cast received widespread acclaim for their performances. Tim Robey, reviewer for The Daily Telegraph, labeled Chicago "the best screen musical for 30 years". He also stated that it has taken a "three-step tango for us to welcome back the movie musical as a form". Robey also wrote "this particular Chicago makes the most prolific use it possibly can out of one specific advantage the cinema has over the stage when it comes to song and dance: it's a sustained celebration of parallel montage".^[19] Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "big, brassy fun".^[20] However, other reviews claimed that there were issues with the film being too streamlined, and minor complaints were made about Marshall's directing influences.^[21]

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	Best Picture	Martin Richards	Won	[22]
	Best Director	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	John C. Reilly	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Queen Latifah	Nominated
		Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Bill Condon	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim	Won
	Best Cinematography	Dion Beebe	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Colleen Atwood	Won
	Best Film Editing	Martin Walsh	Won
	Best Original Song	"I Move On" Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb	Nominated
	Best Sound	Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella, and David Lee	Won
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards	Best Breakaway Performance	Richard Gere	Won	[23]
Amanda Awards	Best Foreign Feature Film	Rob Marshall	Nominated
American Choreography Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film	Rob Marshall, John DeLuca, Cynthia Onrubia, Joey Pizzi, and Denise Faye	Won
American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical	Martin Walsh	Won
American Film Institute Awards	Top 10 Films		Won
Art Directors Guild Awards	Excellence in Production Design for a Period or Fantasy Film	John Myhre	Nominated	[24]
BET Awards	Best Actress	Queen Latifah[lower-alpha 1]	Won
Black Reel Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress	Queen Latifah	Won	[25]
BMI Film & TV Awards	Film Music Award	Danny Elfman	Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Supporting Actor	John C. Reilly[lower-alpha 2]	Runner-up	[26]
	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Runner-up
British Academy Film Awards	Best Film	Martin Richards	Nominated	[27]
	Best Direction	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Queen Latifah	Nominated
		Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
	Best Cinematography	Dion Beebe	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Colleen Atwood	Nominated
	Best Editing	Martin Walsh	Nominated
	Best Make-Up and Hair	Judi Cooper-Sealy	Nominated
	Best Original Film Music	Danny Elfman	Nominated
	Best Production Design	John Myhre	Nominated
	Best Sound	Michael Minkler, David Lee, and Dominick Tavella	Won
British Society of Cinematographers Awards	Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film	Dion Beebe	Nominated	[28]
Canadian Network of Makeup Artists Awards	Best Make-Up Artist for a Feature Film	Jordan Samuel	Won
	Best Hairstyling for a Feature Film	Judi Cooper-Sealy	Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor	John C. Reilly	Runner-up	[29]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated	[30]
Cinema Audio Society Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures	Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella, and David Lee	Nominated	[31]
Costume Designers Guild Awards	Excellence in Period/Fantasy Film	Colleen Atwood	Won	[32]
Critics' Choice Awards	Best Picture		Won	[33]
	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
	Best Cast		Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards	Best Film		Won
	Top 10 Films		Won
David di Donatello Awards	Best Foreign Film	Rob Marshall	Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	Rob Marshall	Won	[34]
Edgar Allan Poe Awards	Best Motion Picture	Bill Condon	Won	[35]
Evening Standard British Film Awards	Best Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Song	"Cell Block Tango"	Won	[36]
Gold Derby Film Awards	Best Motion Picture	Martin Richards	Won	[37]
	Best Director	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	John C. Reilly	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Bill Condon	Nominated
	Best Art Direction	John Myhre and Andrew M. Stearn	Won
	Best Cinematography	Dion Beebe	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Colleen Atwood	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Martin Walsh	Won
	Best Original Song	"I Move On" – John Kander and Fred Ebb	Nominated
	Best Ensemble Cast		Nominated
	Best Motion Picture of the Decade		Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress of the Decade	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy		Won	[38]
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Richard Gere	Won
	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Renée Zellweger	Won
		Catherine Zeta-Jones	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture	John C. Reilly	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	Queen Latifah	Nominated
	Best Director – Motion Picture	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Bill Condon	Nominated
Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing in a Musical Feature Film – Music	Annette Kudrak, E. Gedney Webb, Ellen Segal, Kenton Jakub, and Missy Cohen	Won	[39]
	Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features – Dialogue & ADR	Maurice Schell, Gina Alfano, Laura Civiello, Hal Levinsohn, and Louis Bertini	Nominated
Golden Schmoes Awards	Best Actress of the Year	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress of the Year	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
	Best Music in a Movie	Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture	Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards	Best Music		Nominated
Grammy Awards	Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media	Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture Randy Spendlove, Ric Wake, and Dan Hetzel	Won	[40]
	Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media	"I Move On" – John Kander and Fred Ebb	Nominated
Japan Academy Film Prize	Outstanding Foreign Language Film		Nominated
Key Art Awards	Student Competition: Trailer	Chicago – Sarah Broshar (for "Road to Stardom")	Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated	[41]
	Best Supporting Actor	John C. Reilly[lower-alpha 3]	Won
Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards	Best Period Makeup – Feature	Jordan Samuel, Patricia Keighran, and Edelgard K. Pfluegl	Won	[42]
MTV Movie Awards	Best Female Performance	Queen Latifah	Nominated	[43]
National Board of Review Awards	Top 10 Films		2nd Place	[44]
	Best Directorial Debut	Rob Marshall	Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards	Best First Film		Runner-up	[45]
New York Film Critics Online Awards	Best Film		Won	[46]
Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Motion Picture	Martin Richards and Harvey Weinstein	Won[lower-alpha 4]	[47]
	Best Director	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Bill Condon	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Dion Beebe	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Colleen Atwood	Nominated
	Best Film Editing	Martin Walsh	Nominated
	Best Original Song	"I Move On"	Nominated
	Best Adapted Song	"All That Jazz"	Nominated
		"Cell Block Tango"	Won
		"Mr. Cellophane"	Nominated
		"We Both Reached for the Gun"	Nominated
		"When You're Good to Mama	Nominated
	Best Production Design	John Myhre and Gordon Sim	Nominated
	Best First Feature	Rob Marshall	Won
	Best Casting	Ali Farrell and Laura Rosenthal	Nominated
	Best Cinematic Moment	"Cell Block Tango"	Nominated
	Best Ensemble		Won
	Best Makeup		Nominated
	Best Sound		Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Nominated	[48]
	Best Costume Design	Colleen Atwood	Nominated
	Best Editing	Martin Walsh	Nominated
	Best Breakthrough Filmmaker	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Ensemble		Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards	Best Picture		Nominated
	Best Director	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
	Best Cinematography	Dion Beebe	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Colleen Atwood	Won
	Best Film Editing	Martin Walsh	Won
	Best Newcomer	Rob Marshall	Nominated
	Best Acting Ensemble		Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures	Martin Richards	Won	[49]
Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards	Best Foreign Actor	Richard Gere	Nominated
	Best Foreign Actress	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
Satellite Awards	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy		Nominated	[50]
	Best Screenplay – Adapted	Bill Condon	Nominated
	Best Original Song	"Love Is a Crime"	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs, Colm Feore, Richard Gere, Mýa, Lucy Liu, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Renée Zellweger, and Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won	[51]
	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Richard Gere	Nominated
	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role	Renée Zellweger	Won
	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role	Queen Latifah	Nominated
		Catherine Zeta-Jones	Won
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Picture		3rd Place	[52]
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress – Drama/Action Adventure	Queen Latifah	Nominated
	Choice Movie Hissy Fit	Lucy Liu	Nominated
	Choice Movie Liar	Renée Zellweger	Nominated
	Choice Movie Villain	Richard Gere	Nominated
	Choice Breakout Movie Star – Female	Queen Latifah[lower-alpha 5]	Nominated
Utah Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Catherine Zeta-Jones	Runner-up	[53]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards	Best Director	Rob Marshall	Runner-up	[54]
Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Adapted Screenplay	Bill Condon	Nominated	[55]

Legacy

Along with Moulin Rouge! (2001) and 8 Mile (2002), Chicago is often credited with ushering a re-emergence of the musical film genre in the 21st century.^[56] Following the success of Chicago, many musical films have been produced for theatrical release, with several adapted from stage productions of Broadway and the West End, including Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, Rent, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Mamma Mia!, Nine, Les Misérables, Rock of Ages, The Last Five Years, Into the Woods, Cats, and more. The 2013 film Sunshine on Leith was also adapted from a stage production, originating with Scotland's Dundee Repertory Theatre.

Japanese rock band Buck-Tick named their 2010 album Razzle Dazzle after the film's song of the same name.^[57]

Many of Chicago's cast and crew have gone on to work in succeeding musicals, including director Marshall (Nine, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns, The Little Mermaid), writer Condon (writer-director of Dreamgirls, director of Beauty and the Beast, writer of The Greatest Showman), costume designer Atwood (Sweeney Todd, Nine, Into the Woods), and actresses Zeta-Jones (Rock of Ages), Latifah (Hairspray), and Baranski (Mamma Mia!, Into the Woods).

Notes

1. Also for Bringing Down the House and Brown Sugar.
2. Also for Gangs of New York, The Good Girl, and The Hours.
3. Also for Gangs of New York and The Hours.
4. Tied with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
5. Also for Bringing Down the House.

References

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. "Chicago (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
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.
7. Torgovnick, Kate (February 7, 2011). "Hollywood casting close calls that would have changed everything". The Frisky. Retrieved June 13, 2023 – via CNN.
8. "John Travolta regrets turning down Chicago role". Hollywood.com. November 17, 2015.
9. Goozner, Merrill (November 10, 1996). "Cynical 'Chicago'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
10. "Chicago". Movie Musicals: From Stage to Screen. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014.
11. "Chicago Reviews & Ratings". IMDb.
12. Nichols, Peter M. (August 15, 2003). "Adding a Song To 'Chicago'". The New York Times.
13. "Toronto has had a starring role in hundreds of movies. These 12 were the biggest". thestar.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
14. "Filming Locations for Oscar-winner Chicago (2002), around Toronto". The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
15. "Mamma Mia! The Movie Beats Box Office Expectations". BroadwayWorld. August 25, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
16. "Chicago". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
17. "Chicago Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
18. "Home - CinemaScore" (Type "Chicago" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
19. Robey, Tim (December 27, 2002). "This Jailhouse Rocks". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
20. Ebert, Roger (December 27, 2002). "Chicago movie review & film summary (2002) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
21. O'Connell, Sean (2003). "Chicago Movie Review, DVD Release". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
22. "The 75th Academy Awards (2003) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
23. "Movies for Grownups Awards 2003 with Bill Newcott". AARP Movies for Grownups Awards. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
24. "7th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards". Art Directors Guild. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
25. "Black Reel Awards – Past Winners". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
26. "BSFC Winners: 2000s". Boston Society of Film Critics. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
27. "BAFTA Awards: Film in 2003". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
28. "Best Cinematography in Feature Film" (PDF). British Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
29. "Awards 2002". Central Ohio Film Critics Association. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
30. "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. January 1, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
31. "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
32. "5th CDGA (2003)". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
33. "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 2002". Bfca.org. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
34. "55th Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
35. "Category List – Best Motion Picture". Edgar Awards. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
36. "2002 FFCC AWARD WINNERS". Florida Film Critics Circle. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
37. "2002 Gold Derby Film Awards". Gold Derby. March 7, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
38. "Chicago". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
39. "'Gangs,' 'Perdition' top Golden Reel nods". Variety. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
40. "46th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
41. "Previous Sierra Award Winners". Las Vegas Film Critics Society. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
42. "'Rings' wins big at hair, makeup awards". United Press International. News World Communications. February 18, 2003. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
43. "CBBC Newsround | TV FILM | MTV Movie Awards nominations 2003". news.bbc.co.uk. April 15, 2003. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
44. "2002 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
45. "2002 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". Mubi. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
46. "NYFCO AWARDS 2001-2019". New York Film Critics Online. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
47. "7th Annual Film Awards (2002)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
48. "O.F.C.S.: The Online Film Critics Society". Rotten Tomatoes. January 6, 2003. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
49. "Producers Guild nominates Chicago, Sopranos". Entertainment Weekly. January 17, 2003. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
50. "2003 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
51. "The 9th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
52. "2002 SEFA Awards". Southeastern Film Critics Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
53. "2002 Utah Film Critics Association Awards". Utah Film Critics Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
54. "2002 WAFCA Awards". Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
55. "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
56. James, Steve (December 23, 2002). "New Film 'Chicago' May Revive Hollywood Musical Genre". Backstage. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
57. "DISCOGRAPHIC BUCK-TICK". Tower Records (in Japanese). Retrieved July 20, 2019.

External links

• Chicago at IMDb 
• Chicago at AllMovie
• Chicago at Box Office Mojo
• Chicago at Metacritic
• Chicago at Rotten Tomatoes
• Chicago at the TCM Movie Database