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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 82 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Chicago, based on Bob Fosse's Broadway smash, kills. Read full review

  • 100
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Not since the 1972 'Cabaret' has there been a movie musical this stirring, intelligent and exciting. Read full review

  • 100
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    A superior adaptation that bypasses the Ann Reinking version now on Broadway. Read full review

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The movie is a total blast, and what a surprise. Read full review

  • 100
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    More than any other example in recent memory, Chicago shows how much the element of surprise is missing from today's movies. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Freshly transplanted from the stage, is a thrilling ode to the intertwined glories of sex, showmanship, and lying: what the film calls ''the old razzle-dazzle.'' Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Who would have expected Ms. Zellweger --- and Miramax -- to come through in a musical? And it's one of the few Christmas entertainments to run under two hours. Who couldn't love that? Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The movie is a dazzling song and dance extravaganza, with just enough words to support the music and allow everyone to catch their breath between songs. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety | David Rooney

    First-time feature director Rob Marshall and Oscar-winning "Gods and Monsters" screenwriter Bill Condon have spun the dark tale of two murdering floozies into a widely palatable entertainment, but the long-gestating film comes up short in rhythm and personality. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Manohla Dargis

    It's Zeta-Jones who keeps you watching from start to finish -- You'd have to go back to Joan Crawford in her hungry prime, in films like "Rain" and "The Women," to find another female film star who grabs hold of the screen with such ferocity. Read full review

View more reviews for Chicago on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Oscar-winning satire all about the razzle-dazzle.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this Academy Award winner has some strong language and sexual references and situations, briefly explicit. A possible pregnancy by a lover is an element of the plot. All characters are amoral, even sleazy in this satire. Lots and lots of smoking. The "merry murderesses" discuss their killings without remorse. The one innocent character is hanged, shown in shadow.
  • Families can talk about the rocky relationship between Velma and Roxy. Why do they agree to work together in the end? They can also discuss the movie's portrayal of the press as marionettes controlled by the slimy lawyer. Do you think the press are savvier today or not? Are there still people today that would do anything for fame and recognition?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Glorifies the "merry murderesses," but in a very clever, satirical way -- too clever for young audiences to grasp. Velma and Roxy are obsessed with fame and kill without remorse. Billy is the epitome of a slimy lawyer out for himself. The press are easily misled. However, the cast is racially diverse and Queen Latifah plays a strong female character.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: One song is about murders commited that landed women in the slammer. One woman says she killed her husband simply because he popped his gum too loudly. An innocent woman is hanged, shown in shadow.
  • sex false5 Sex: Roxy claims she was being raped when she shot her lover, then faked a pregnancy. We see her scantily clad in bed. Dancers wear very little for most musical numbers.
  • language false3 Language: Strong language.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking and a lot of smoking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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