The 97th Academy Awards are upon us, and two filmsWickedandEmilia Perezhave the chance to make history by becoming the first musical to take home Best Picture in over 20 years.
There are plenty of movie musicals that have earned Best Picture nominations over the past two and a half decades, likeLes Miserables,La La Land, andSteven SpielbergsWest Side Story, butnone have taken home the coveted award sinceChicagoin 2003.Since the first Oscars' ceremony in 1929,only ten musicals have won Best Picture, withChicagos win breaking a 34-year drought, and it’s easy to see why.
Based on the 1975 stage musical,Chicagoearned thirteen Academy Award nominations and won six, including Best Supporting Actress for the scene-stealingCatherine Zeta-Jones.
Outstanding lead performances, a star-studded ensemble cast, ambitious direction, and iconic musical numbers makeChicagostand out as one of thebest movie musicals of the centuryand a worthy recipient of the Best Picture award.
Musical Best Picture Winners Have Been Few and Far Between
There have been several iconic musicals to win theAcademy Award for Best Pictureover the years, likeMy Fair LadyandThe Sound of Music, but afterOliver!won in 1968,it would be 34 years until another movie musical would win the category.And in the 22 years sinceChicagowon Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards, there have been a number of movie musicals to snag a nomination and win other major awards before ultimately missing out on the biggest of the night.
Movie musicals have fared particularly well in theBest Supporting Actresscategory after Catherine Zeta-Jones win, withJennifer Hudson(Dreamgirls),Anne Hathaway(Les Miserables), andAriana DeBose(West Side Story) taking home the award since then.Emma Stonewon her first Oscar forLa La Land, and actors likeAndrew Garfield,Bradley Cooper, andRyan Goslinghave all been nominated for their musical roles.
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer’s attention.
Of all the movie musicals that have been nominated for Best Picture sinceChicago,La La Landcame the closestin 2017 untilMoonlightwas announced as the true winner.
As for this years Best Picture nominees,bothWickedandEmilia Perezare in contention,along withA Complete Unknown, though the latter is more of amusic biopicthan a true musical.
WhileWickedis a crowd-pleasing blockbuster,Emilia Perezhas been one of themost controversial Oscar nomineesin years, though both share some similarities withChicagoin terms of Oscar nominations.
Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer’s attention.
All three films were nominated for 10+ awards, and all three earned nominations in both the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories:Renee Zellwegerand Zeta-Jones forChicago,Cynthia ErivoandAriana GrandeforWicked, andKarla Sofia GasconandZoe SaldanaforEmilia Perez.
Chicago Is One of the Best Movie Musicals of the 21st Century
Directed byRob Marshall,Chicagoisone of the few movie musicals that’s widely considered to be better than the stage musicalfrom which it was adapted.
Set during the Jazz Age,Chicagofollows Roxie Hart (Zellweger), a murderous housewife with dreams of being a star, and explores fame, corruption, and ambition as Roxie clashes and ultimately teams up with vaudeville performer Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones).
With a ridiculously talented ensemble cast including the likes ofChristine Baranski,Richard Gere,Queen Latifah, andJohn C. Reilly,Chicagohas no weak links as far as performances go.EvenLucy Lius brief appearance as a killer heiress andTaye Diggs role as the bandleader have an impact.
WhileChicagowas Zellwegers first musical role, Zeta-Jones West End experience is apparent on-screen, and she easily steals the show despite not being the lead.
Gotta dance!
Aside from the strong performances across the board, what really makesChicagostand out among otherOscar-nominated musicals of the 21st centuryare itsdirection, editing, and meticulously crafted musical numbers.Using clever set design,Chicagoimpressively blends plot with fantastical musical numbers, overlapping two very different options to reflect Roxies dreams versus her reality.
Balancing humor, drama, and intrigue with exciting musical numbers that showcase its great performances,Chicagoappeals to both musical lovers and casual moviegoers.The evolving dynamic between Roxie and Velma is fascinating, as both women are betrayed and exploited but selfish and conniving in their own right, and Zellweger and Zeta-Jones complement each other wonderfully.And even if youve never seenChicago,you may be familiar withCell Block Tango, a powerful, sultry musical number about revenge and female rage that is emblematic of everything that makes the film so great.
Chicagofaced stiff competition in the 2003 Best Picture race, beating outThe PianistandThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, butif theres any movie musical in the past 25 years that deserved a Best Picture win, itsChicago.
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Two death-row murderesses develop a fierce rivalry while competing for publicity, celebrity, and a sleazy lawyer’s attention.
