Got draggged to this movie last night, kicking and screaming the whole way. She said "c'mon, we're going to an Oscar party this year, we have to see every best pic nominee". Well, I am just stunned at how BAD this movie was. No, I'm not a fan of the musical form to begin with, however I have seen quite a few of them over the course of my life so I feel qualified to be able to tell the difference between a good one and a bad one. Forgettable songs, lightweight choreography (added for the numerous non-dancers in the cast) and a repellant story made this turd jaw droppingly bad. I was surfing Metacritic.com this AM to try and figure out why this mess has rcvd such good notices and now I am just flummoxed by the whole thing. Most reviewers cite Richard Gere as being a pleasant surprise in a singing and dancing role. "Why he can even tap dance!" many reviews said. Well wake up! You never saw his face and feet at the same time except for about 5 steps in a 5 minute song. He moves with the elegance of Boris Karloff in Frankenstein. Much of his dancing was obviously done by body doubles. And his singing voice! Wow reedy and dead, almost like Jerry Lewis, but not played for laughs . . . and very obviously digitally enhanced. In fact ALL the singing was massaged and dubbed. Gee, and I usually like Zellweger too. She's always so cute and plucky in her other roles. Here she reminds me of an early 60's Shirley MacLaine . . . but without the musical talent. Many of her solo numbers were surprisingly non-musical, almost like sung monologues. Again, you almost never see her dancing in full body. Obviously, it was because she can't dance that well. The movie had no pacing or flow. The scenes without songs were curiously subdued and downplayed and every single production number was blaring, overwrought and far too in-your-face. Too much fast cutting and yet far too stage-y at the same time. Many reviewers also mention the "timely story about obsession with stardom and the lengths people go to stay a star". This story is old hat folks. It reminds me of how the in love with itself media all thought "The Truman Show" was pure genius, yet most of the public went "yeah, so?" The media is so obsessed with itself that they think the general public is a pack of drooling morons that all want to be fabulous stars like them. the story is man hating and surprisingly trashy. There are NO sympathetic characters. All very "edgy and revisionist" says one reviewer. Like that's a good thing for musicals. Blame Baz Luhrman. This is just the type of diarhea that wins best picture Oscars. Be afraid, be very afraid.… Expand

Ugh.

Overrated. Take the heart, soul, and energy out of Moulin Rouge and you get this. Waste of time.

Why are we so preoccupied with the extravagance of this film, it is awful. I didn't care whatsoever about the characters, the story is dull and pointless. Lets not get confused with the star-aspect, the film is trash, it couldn't even be made worse if julia roberts was in it. I felt a serious, morbid hatred for everyone in this film.

This movie is about as good as the Chicago Bull's after Jordan left. Thats Chicago (in the kweer that is Gere's voice).

The most over-rated film of the year. Honestly, how anyone can think that this film has any depth to it is beyond me. Chicago rams it's silly message about celebrity down your throat and doesn't seem to mind that it's a point that's been made a million times before and much more subtly. In fact, there really isn't much of a movie here. One song immediately leads into another with no chance to really develop any of the characters. In many ways, it's more a string of music videos than a film. Bottom line is, this movie is all style and no substance. And even the style isn't that amazing (just shamelessly copying Bob Fosse) Go watch Cabaret instead. It actually has something to it. … Expand

I was very disappointed. My wife loved it, but I found it boring and pointless, utterly without substance. Several of the songs have been in other productions, so it seemed derivative--although I concede that I may simply have seen some of those others before I saw this one, given that the Broadway show has been playing for years and years. It struck me as a shallow vehicle for singing and dancing. Other musicals have managed to be at least somewhat more substantive (e.g, The Sound of Music). … Expand

Awful. I lasted about 10 minutes before we shut it off. the characters were so sterotypical, they were like a cartoon. Annoying herky jerky style. In a word, this movie insults the viewer's intelligence.

I found the music to be really bad.

The ladies are pleasant, the leading man replacable, the story forgettable and the musical "numbers" add up to zero. In other words, what we quite rightly expect from a contemporary musical.

Excrutiatingly obvious story, no sympathetic characters, and no discernable difference from Bob Fosse movies of the 1970's.

One of the biggest pieces of crap that i have had the misfortune to see. I like musicals in general but this was truly wretched. How does a piece of crap like this win an Oscar?

The worst movie of 2002.Moulin Rouge is ten times better than this musical mix.

Chicago is the most over-rated movie of the century! It's horrible! Music terrible, acting is the only thing good! Oh my god, what a torture!!! Terrible 133 minutes spent on that crap! Never again!

HOW CAN ANYONE SAY THAT THIS MOVIE IS GOOD. Perhaps the worst musical of all time. Richard Gere puts in his worst performance. And the songs suck.