LogFAQs > #933995508

3. All That Jazz

Johnbobb: 1
Genny: 2
Scarlet: 4
KBM: 8
JONA: 9
Karo: 16
Inviso: 21

Johnbobb - I didn't know much about All That Jazz going in, and was assuming it was just going to be a typical showtune musical. Thought that even moreso when I realized it was yet another musical about the making of a musical. Holy shit was I wrong. I was left absolutely startled by the end. Bob Fosse is fantastic in it, and the songs (even though they're few and spread out) are all just really damn good. I can really appreciate a semi-autobiographical story when done right; this gives me a feeling similar to Michael Keaton in Birdman did a few years ago. Fantastic finale. The fact that Kramer v. Kramer beat both this and Apocalypse Now is a fucking tragedy.
Favorite song: Literally the entire last end stretch, but I guess I'll say Bye Bye Life

Genny - All That Jazz was the biggest surprise on this list. I can't even truly fathom explaining why I enjoyed it so much, but it might have something to do with schadenfreude. Watching Gideon's life spiral out of control in such a dramatic manner due to his own inability to keep away from a profession that is essentially killing him like a slow acting poison is just tragic. Even more tragic is bearing witness to the people closest to him trying their best to recoup him while he loses himself even more in his work all of his own volition and indomitable desire to see his production through to its end, culminating in his cohorts realizing the only way to make a profit is for Gideon to not survive his cardiovascular qualms. Well for once I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming, and I was impressed with the balls the movie had to pull that off. That such a nuanced character went out with a bang was spectacular, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the spectacle of it all.

Scarlet - An insane, self-[lolcensor]-aggrandizing display of ego, All That Jazz encapsulates the creative process from the perspective of an actually creative person, and it succeeds on all fronts. Ive never minded a little arrogance in movies, personally.
Best Song: Everything Old Is New Again

KBM - Why I Chose It: The 1979 film All That Jazz is a semi-autobiographical story written and directed by legendary Broadway choreographer/director Bob Fosse, based on his own efforts a few years prior to finish his film Lenny while simultaneously developing the 1975 musical Chicago. The Roy Scheider-starring musical fantasy-drama won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, losing out to Kramer vs. Kramer, though it did win four of the nine Oscars for which is was nominated, including awards for Best Score and Editing. In 2001, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was also the last live-action musical to be nominated for Best Picture until Moulin Rouge! was nominated over twenty years later.

My Thoughts: All That Jazz is a creative whirlwind of a film, with a story both undeniably egomaniacal and shockingly self-aware. Despite its self-indulgent tendencies, Bob Fosse clearly has the talent and the directing chops to back himself up, anchored by a brilliant lead performance from Roy Scheider. It's a film that goes in a lot of unexpected places, from the literal flirting with death sequences to the brilliant, shocking final ten minutes of the film, and if I don't quite know how to put into words my feelings about this movie, I consider it a brilliantly made film that just has to be experienced to be understood. It certainly made me uncomfortable at times, and just as a musical, it leaves a little something to be desired (there are only a couple musical numbers that I really, really enjoy, one of which is the hilariously oversexualized Airotica number and the other of which is the unforgettable Bye Bye Life finale), but the fact that this isn't really your typically-structured musical is okay, particularly in the context of this movie, because it's not really trying to be that. Fun facts, Kubrick (who gets a name-drop in the film) called this the best film I think I have ever seen upon its release.

Favorite Song: Take Off with Us (Airotica)

JONA - While I was watching, I was kinda bugged by how the actor for the main character didnt feel too charismatic. Now that I think about it, he wasnt that bad and once I got over that I realized how good this movie was. Joes got a very intriguing life. My favorite part of the movie is definitely the weird shit though. I liked the idea of Joe literally flirting with death. I loved the weird erotic airplane number. The climax was amazing. Great stuff.
Favorite Song: Take Off with Us

Karo - A strange artsy film about a show producer who seems intent on committing suicide via either chain smoking or musical theatre.
The story follows this guy through his daily routine as he works on his show and his health slowly deteriorates, up until he has a heart attack and the movie truly enters the realm of the bizarre to an extent that it defies description.
This movie is one weird fish and it is hard to really know what to feel about it, but it does a good job of making itself stand out in the great sea of films about making musicals.

Score: 64/100

Best Song: 'Bye Bye Life'

Inviso - This feels like two movies clumsily mashed together. The first half is all about casting for either a musical, or a movie, or a television show. Its not ENTIRELY clear, because the movie keeps talking about things being filmed, and using the catch-all term of show. The point is that its boring as fuck. Aside from the On Broadway song, there is not a single, memorable moment in this half of the film. There are unnecessarily-extended dance sequences, sure, but thats the main thing carrying the plot. The back half is a LITTLE better. Roy Scheiders character suffers a heart attack, and spends the rest of the movie in and out of fantasies about his life and death, complete with showy costumes and musical numbers from his ex-wife, girlfriend, and daughter. Granted, Id appreciate this more if wed gotten to know more of the characters besides Scheider, but still, its decent enough. Its actually a lot like a more dramatic version of the musical episode of Scrubs. Its nowhere near as good, but its decent enough.