“All That Jazz” is one of the most absorbing films I’ve ever seen. It has an excellent rhythm that makes it hard to stop watching. It covers existential questions about mortality while never forgetting to entertain the audience.
This movie tells the story of Joe Gideon, a workaholic director in theater and film. As the film begins, he is directing his latest Broadway show by day and editing his latest movie at night. His exhausting, womanizing lifestyle begins threatening his life as he seeks to find some measure of satisfaction.
This movie was directed by Bob Fosse, who heavily based Gideon on himself. He too was exceptionally driven and slept with many women. The similarities to his life extended to the casting.
Ann Reinking plays Gideon’s girlfriend, a role that she played in real life for Fosse. Even the editor of “All That Jazz,” Alan Heim, has a cameo as the editor of Gideon’s film.
But you do not need to know anything about Fosse’s life to experience this film’s power to suck you into its story. This is apparent from the opening sequence where dancers audition for Gideon’s new musical, which is set to George Benson’s song “On Broadway.”
This sequence is a perfect marriage of music and material. The relaxed tempo of “On Broadway” is a great counterpoint to the fast editing of this sequence. It made me feel like I understood something about the majority of the characters without needing a word of dialogue. The use of pictures and images in these initial minutes is the basics of cinema at their best.
The musical numbers in this film are a joy to watch. At first they are somewhat sporadic and occur in realistic settings.
However, when Gideon has surgery, Fosse unleashes four fantastical musical numbers. They happen one after the other, as if Fosse wanted to overwhelm the audience with his talent.
“All That Jazz” is frequently dazzling. In fact, it’s been one of my hardest movies to review because I find it hard to think critically about it. Every time I see it I get swept up in the the filmmaking and its story.
I love the female characters of this film. In one musical number some female dancers are objectified. But the primary female characters are all intelligent and talented, and some of the best musical numbers focus on Reinking and Leland Palmer, the actress who plays Gideon’s ex-wife.
This film is entertaining, which helps in making its messages easier to swallow.
Gideon is a deeply flawed human being who has to learn to accept his oncoming death. It’s bleak material that’s more palatable because of the toe-tapping tunes and the excellent filmmaking.
“All That Jazz” is one of my favorite musicals. The brief reasons I have given are not enough to describe how I feel when I watch this film.
I hope you love it as much as I do.
jpastern@indiana.edu | @jessepasternack
