"Chicago" Fire

Remember the good old days of cinema? You know, back when musicals were all the rage and every movie had at least one song and dance number?

Awful, wasn't it?

Yeah, musicals are strange things. The direct descendants of opera, they sound like such a good idea: have the characters express themselves in song. After all, audiences pay fortunes for musical numbers, dance routines, and operas in the live theater. How could it go wrong?

A lot of ways, as it turned out. As cinema advanced as a medium for story-showing rather than story-telling, the music just seemed to get in the way. Every time an actor broke off a captivating and realistic performance to do a fancy caper and belt out an excessively long ditty, the magic spell of the theater was broken. Instead of remaining interlopers, cinema musicians consigned themselves to working in the background in support of the thespians whose performances were judged for their realism above all.

Yeah yeah, you get it. I'm not a musical fan. But as I said before, the idea of the musical is a good one, and sometimes -rarely- movie makers get it right.

Which brings us to Chicago. This is one of those rare instances were the musical numbers and live performances do not interfere with each other. In fact, this movie would likely be disappointing without the toe-tapping beats and poignant metaphors that characterize its musical interludes.

The story is not much to talk about. Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a dissappointed housewife who craves fame, and accidentally gets it when she shoots her lying lover. Consigned to jail alongside her former idol, Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Roxie and her estranged but loyal husband hire lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), a greedy conniving flim-flam, who promises to get her out.

Cliche city, right? But the real quality of this movie is in the music and dance numbers. Every scene or so, the audience is treated to a dazzling spectacle as a character takes the stage and reveals their intimate perspectives in flamboyant paradoxical exhibitionism. Even otherwise boring characters like Roxie's estranged husband, Amos, get surprising new depth in these scenes.

The musical bits also serve to highlight the dishonesty and corruption of the subject matter. By portraying Roxie's press conference as a puppet-show and the trial as a literal circus, the movie makers gave a hilarious satire of journalism and the justice system.

Smarty Pants Sez: It's a great spectacle. See it for the song and dance, not the story.

Caveats: Chicago, like most modern movies, glamorizes and sexualizes crimes -especially murder. It's somewhat disturbing, but altogether expected from Hollywood. Also, the story itself lacks depth.

"Les Miserables" (not the musical)

Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel, this story of desperation, redemption, obsession, and romance is a finely crafted work of art.

Les Miserables follows the story of Jean Valjean (Liam Neeson), an unscrupulous and ignorant convict who is willing to lie, steal, and betray to prolong his meager life. Until, that is, an act of mercy by a stranger transforms him. After escaping from the law, Valjean starts a new life as a factory worker in a small French town where his unwavering kindness and generosity eventually take him to riches and the position of Mayor.

Enter Inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush), a ruthless police officer who is determined to return Valjean to jail. Valjean is forced to escape to Paris, but not before a desperate single mother (Uma Thurman) begs him to take care of her daughter Cossette (Claire Danes). Unable to refuse someone in need, Valjean becomes Cossette's foster father as they start a new life in Paris. But the revolution is on, and Javert isn't finished yet.

Les Miserables is masterfully done. The cinematography and music are beautiful, and the story is inspiring. By far the best thing about it is the superb acting, with particularly strong performances by Neeson and Rush. Neeson's portrayal of Valjean is a man who is determined to help those in need and prevent the type of suffering he had to endure, yet with the hesitancy of a man who knows how unpredictable life can be. Rush's Javert is a fascinating character: an uncompromising legalist who can't tell the difference between "legal" and "moral", he is obsessed with catching Valjean, not because of a personal vendetta or even because he broke the law, but because Valjean's obvious goodness is anathema to Javert's simplistic worldview.

Smarty Pants Sez: Les Miserables with Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman, and Claire Danes is highly recommended.

Caveats: It isn't a musical, and many of the characters from the original novel are simplified or left out. Even so, it's still a great movie.