worst movie musical — Page 5

CHICAGO.

Always and forever, the worst movie musical and the worst movie ever made. Badly cast, badly directed, an atrocity from beginning to end.

Really? I respect your opinion but I really enjoyed Chicago. I thought that they kept the feel of the era, the cast did a great job on the characters and the musical numbers were fantastic. I particularly loved "We Both Reached for the Gun". Chicago is a very hard musical to translate to film, and I thought that their version was incredible.

As for High School Musical...GIVE IT A BREAK. It appeals to children, it's cute and it's a phenomenon among what...8 year olds? My neices are in love with it, as well as all of their friends. Sure it's not incredible but It wasn't one of the worst of all time.

Updated On: 3/7/08 at 02:27 PM

""Guys and Dolls" on the whole wasn't bad, but Brando's performance is surely up there with the worst musical performances ever (yes, I said it)."

I think you are being too kind. It's far from the worst movie musical, but it is the movie musical that irritates me the most. Sinatra even seems completely bored for Sinatra. The only redeeming quality for me is Stubby Kaye and maybe Vivian Blaine. The Hot Box numbers being exchanged for substandard numbers is another reason for my dislike of this movie.

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It is my opinion that Chicago is quite simply the worst film ever made. What few virtues the film possesses (a good score, a good plot, some adequate performances) are completely overwhelmed by the sheer awfulness of the execution. Even such classic howlers as Showgirls and Plan Nine From Outer Space are classics of cinema compared with this hyper-caffeinated load of garbage.

The device of having musical numbers take place as Roxie's fantasies is interesting on paper but badly carried out. I don't think it works. Similar devices have been used effectively before, in Pennies From Heaven and All That Jazz, but it is worth remembering that those films were conceived with those devices in mind, as being integral parts of the films/TV series. Chicago grafts this device onto an already existing piece of material, and does a bad job of it. The film spends so much time getting in and out of Roxie's fantasies that it can't work up urgency in the plot, or generate any sexual tension.

The camera work and editing are a mess. The dances are cut to shreds, and the choreography vanishes in a flurry of quick cuts to bizarre camera angles and hand held shots. It starts to look like The Blair Witch Musical after a while.

As for the performances, I can't say I was terribly impressed with anyone. Catherine Zeta Jones shakes her ass, waggles her shoulders, drags on cigarettes, widens her eyes at strategic moments, and gets an Oscar. Renee Zellweger tries her best, but doesn't make much of an impression. Richard Gere smirks his way through the film, which is sort of in character, but his alleged singing only gets worse on repeat viewings. I have to say that I was astonished by the lack of charisma exhibited by Queen Latifah. In other films she is a vibrant and attractive actress, with great energy and intelligence, to say nothing of incredbile sexual energy. I can't imagine what Rob Marshall must have done to get her to deliver the tired by-the-numbers work she does here.

All in all, a travesty.

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Worst - Moulin Rouge

Dishonorable mentions - Annie, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, A Little Night Music, Song of Norway, Funny Face.