Chicago is a 2002 American
musical comedy crime film based on the musical of the
same name, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in
Chicago during the
Jazz Age. The film stars
Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Renée Zellweger and
Richard Gere, and also features
John C. Reilly,
Queen Latifah,
Christine Baranski,
Taye Diggs,
Lucy Liu,
Dominic West,
Colm Feore, and
Mýa Harrison.
Chicago centers on
Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and
Roxie Hart (Zellweger), two murderesses who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s
Chicago. Velma, a vaudevillian, and Roxie, a housewife, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows.
Directed and
choreographed by
Rob Marshall, and adapted by screenwriter
Bill Condon,
Chicago won six
Academy Awards in 2003, including
Best Picture. The film was critically lauded, and was the first musical to win Best Picture since
Oliver! in 1968.