Movie Analysis: CHICAGO

Copyright © 2004 by Mary Lynn Mercer

Themes: ambition, lust, the justice system
MPAA Rating: R
Year: 2002

While the strength of Chicago is its narrative focus, its claim to brilliance is its translation of thought and emotion into visual imagery. The key emotional beats are illustrated in colorful singing/dancing numbers that break out of the lead character's (and sometimes other characters') imaginations in almost dizzying crosscuts. It would be hopelessly confusing if not for two saving graces—1.) contrasts in costuming between "real life" and "fantasy" and 2.) lyrics flowing and changing in "real time" with the character's emotions. It is a powerful point-of-view trick that keeps the viewer firmly connected with the character.

Which shows the power of well-crafted emotion, even when the emoting is done by selfish, ambitious, soul-selling frauds who spit in the eye of viewer sympathy. The range of emotions in this story is unimaginatively limited in scope--spanning only the baser instincts of jealousy, lust, ambition, avarice, fear, hatred, and revenge. The lead characters do not experience a single noble emotion, not even for an instant. Chicago is like a James Cagney gangster story without the benefit of Pat O'Brien's Rev. Jerry Connolly character. It even comes complete with a machine-gunning happily-into-the-sunset ending for the lead characters.

The lead character, Roxie, pursues with remorseless tenacity her goal of a headline act. Her desire drives the tightly-written story with a firm, steady foot on the gas pedal. A possible command performance at the gallows, the main source of conflict in the story, guards against total boredom.

The one character in the whole story who's innocent is the only character who is shown paying the ultimate price for violent crime. Her suffering, however, is deliberately distanced from the viewer who hears her tale without benefit of subtitles in a foreign language ballet. Perhaps that's because her presence in the story, besides jabbing at capital punishment, helps illustrate the story's cynical theme of survival of the conscienceless. Her sad story finds no sympathy in the hardened hearts around her. Her end evokes only more fear and another self serving alliance between two characters.

Villains become fully rounded characters only when marbled with a little bit of goodness, because this introduces internal conflict. Unfortunately, the writers of Chicago forgot to apply that rule to protagonists who feel so completely undeserving of a happy ending as to be cardboard cutouts. Like seed that reproduces after its kind, ceaseless, callous unconcern in a protagonist breeds similar indifference in the viewer for the fate of the lead characters.

One of the most wretched characters in English literature is J. R. R. Tolkien's Gollum. But what makes him interesting is not the extremes whereto he humiliates himself for the greatly desired Ring. What indelibly imprints Gollum on the memory and makes him a riveting character is his internal conflict between insatiable evil and fleeting pangs of goodness. Even Gollum experiences a couple moments of noble emotion in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

As a possible satire, Chicago's plot is woven on the loom of irony. The problem is that instead of exposing vice to ridicule, it exposes it to praise, which is the exact opposite of what genuine satire accomplishes.

A strong desire line and cleverly-rendered, albeit shallow, emotions give Chicago undeniable energy. But it is fool's gold. It cannot satisfy without sympathetic lead characters who've at least heard of the Golden Rule.