NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Michael_Elliott Roxie Hart (1942) *** (out of 4) Fast paced comedy about a showgirl (Ginger Rogers) who admits to a murder she didn't commit just so she can get her name in the media. This story was previously made in 1927 as Chicago and it was later turned into the Oscar-winner Chicago in 2002. As for this film, it's fun from start to finish and the 75-minute running time flashes by without any dull moments. The true highlight here is Ginger Rogers who is downright brilliant as Roxie. Not only does Rogers perfectly capture all of the character's wit, she also brings a fair portion of sexuality to the role even though most of it ended up getting cut due to the Hayes Office. The supporting cast is full of terrific character actors and they all add great supporting. Adolphe Menjou is wonderful as the showbiz lawyer who wants to turn the trial into something like a movie production. George Montgomery, Nigel Bruce and Phil Silvers.

LCShackley Although this film has some funny moments, it's not consistent, and some of the jokes are whacked to death by the director (the photographers, the ogling jury, the deadpan court announcer). Ginger Rogers gives a one-dimensional performance without the least bit of subtlety, and we're even forced to watch two dance numbers that are shoe-horned into the plot to show off her ankles.It's fun to spot some character actors who went on to great success in television (Spring Byington, William Frawley, and especially Phil Silvers). Other supporting players, such as Nigel Bruce and George Chandler, are spot-on in their roles as agent and rebuffed husband. But the main characters need to drive a film, and the three leads in ROXIE HART don't quite fire on all cylinders. Adolphe Menjou is always fun to watch, but about 30 years too old for the part. (Even though his character is described as oozing with sex appeal.) George Montgomery is flat, and Ginger starts to grate after a half-hour or so.The lighting is especially good in the prison scenes, with lots of angular shadows. The print shown on TCM was in very good shape, with good contrast and sharp focus. ROXIE HART is not a total loser, but if you're looking for a top-rank 40s screwball comedy, this isn't it.

moonspinner55 Comedy fracas from Maurine Watkins' play "Chicago" (filmed previously in 1927, and remade as a musical in 2002) has gum-snapping, would-be showgirl Roxie Hart, wife to a real schlub in jazz-era Chicago, talked into putting herself at the center of an apartment shooting--because, after all, Chicago courts are sweet on dames. Satire of legal justice (and the theatricality of the law and the press) is pungent and funny without being terribly memorable. Ginger Rogers is very good in the lead, yet winking director William Wellman keeps repeating the same gags over and over; while frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the audience, Wellman tramples all comers--sapping Rogers' good will too soon. A few wonderful stand-outs remain: the jailhouse dance with the reporters, the lively courtroom antics, and the clever final tag. The story is framed in awkward flashback, the sub-plot about moll Two Gun Gertie is introduced and then dropped, and there's a semi-romance that never rises to a boil, but the film still has some big laughs and a lot of energy. **1/2 from ****

jimkis-1 Other reviewers have noted it too -- this film is a major disappointment, especially if you are a Ginger Rogers fan. Which I am. But that's not to say I don't recognize that not every film she made was a gem. Indeed, she made her share of turkeys. This is not quite a turkey but it comes close. The problem is the studio. 20th Century Fox did not have the flair for comedy MGM, Columbia, or Ginger's old haunt RKO, where she made all her wonderful films with Astaire. First off, Ginger is a little too old for the part. She was 31 or 32, had gained some weight since the Astaire years, and was in her brunette/black hair period -- which was far from attractive. The use of gauze over the camera lens is evident in all her closeups, because she just was no longer the radiant young thing she was in her 1930s films. Ginger could do screwball comedy, and in The Major and the Minor, directed by Billy Wilder -- who knew how to do a comedy -- she shines. Here, she and all the comedic talents in the cast, are wasted by (1)a lackluster script and (2)heavy-handed direction by a man who did better with drama than comedy. One comes to Roxie Hart expecting a lot, but it just isn't there, and the whole show is dragged down by George Montgomery's non-acting. The character actors try to save the film -- William Frawley and Phil Silvers were outstanding in other films and on TV. But here their efforts fall flat. I have read that Barbara Stanwyck was the first choice for Roxie but I doubt if she could have saved it. And the constraints of 1942 censorship rendered the whole story of "Chicago" so antiseptic it is a wonder it has any following at all. Finally, it is rumored this version is not the original 1942 release -- which reportedly featured much saucier dancing. Having said all that, I would still prefer to watch this over the obnoxious and somewhat repugnant film "Chicago" recently released on an unsuspecting public.