Chicago

The first Oscar-winning musical since the 1970s celebrates the unlikely themes of murder, adultery and greed with winning results. Heroine Roxie Hart (Zellweger) in jail for offing her two-timing boyfriend, finally finds the fame she craved. Ditto for Zeta-Jones' Velma Kelly, who's also in stir for popping her old man. The hot-headed beauties share the same slick lawyer, Billy Flynn (Gere). Reilly is Zellweger's simpleton husband, the sole spot of earnestness in an otherwise cynical film. Deftly directed, with musical numbers done as fantasy segments. Zeta-Jones and Latifah are the ones with the pipes for the genre, while lesser singer/dancers Gere and Zellweger score with appealing performances. Big-screen version of the award-winning musical by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse.