One of the greatest, and most disturbing, musicals ever made in which maestro director/choreographer Bob Fosse helms a thinly veiled confessional of his own life, with Roy Schieder in the lead role as Joe gideon, a bacchanal and troubled "Fosse type", who we see deal with loneliness, obsessive work habits, and one mean monkey of addiction on his back. Struggling to have a relationships with his daughter Michelle, played by the amazing Erzsebet Fold, and his current girlfriend Katie, also both singer/dancers in Gideon's world, the film in large part is at it's heart an incredibly sad family drama. Taking a Fellini-esque approach visually (and sometimes narratively), ALL THAT JAZZ delves into crazy fantasy-laced fever dream sequences, and the song and dance numbers are on a level all their own. not surprising since it is, after all, THE Bob motherfucking Fosse. Factor in Jessica Lange as Angelique, the ironically named Angel Of Death, and a plethora of incredible supporting roles, and it's easy to see how this classic won the Palme d'Or in 1980 at the Cannes Film festival. Even if you hate musicals, you'll love this. Pure cinema. Pure greatness.
Rating: 5 out of 5
~ Sean Smithson
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