Pretty Good

One of my all time favorites.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Superior musical from the genius Bob Fosse,mixing reality and fantasy where telling your own life as the main character Roy Scheider in an unforgettable performance as workaholic director who living when is working,fantastic choreography seeking the perfection all time driven him to lives with pills,cigarettes and sex....stressed almost has a heart attack until has going to hospital...there continuous working in his masterpiece on a surreal time...fresh musical giving another dimension at this style...extremely sexy goes beyond of imagination...Resume:First watch: 1993 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.5

Particularly of interest in this film is the strong autobiographical quality of it. Fosse did, indeed, suffer his first heart attack during this 1973/74 period of his life. The film-within-the-film, "The Stand Up," is an interesting variation on LENNY (1974, with Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine)--- much more irritating than that movie. LENNY ended up getting great reviews, for the most part, but it must have been a tough movie for Fosse to get his hands around, especially while dealing with his failed marriage to Broadway star Gwen Verdon (portrayed here by Leland Palmer). It's certainly portrayed as such in this film. And Chicago seems to have been a challenge for him, too. He obviously thought the original script for that show was lacking (as he actually went on record as saying) and that he had to spice it up for him to become interested in it. (How fascinating would a Fosse film version of CHICAGO have been? As it was, it looks as if eventual CHICAGO director Rob Marshall screened ALL THAT JAZZ many times in order to mine its many storytelling treasures, including the main conceit that most of the film's musical numbers appear in the minds of the main characters.)

I wasn't clear what kind of film All That Jazz would be before I sat through it. Would it have the same attitude of a vehicle that features Liza Minnelli throatily singing about how much she loves New York, wrapped in a scarlet feather boa and draped in jewels? Or if it would be the kind of thing The Band Wagon was, only covered in pills and booze? All That Jazz is thankfully neither. Directed by legendary choreographer and director Bob Fosse, All That Jazz is painfully autobiographical; we know it, and so does Fosse. What we receive is a film that is both robust but recklessly uneven, uncompromising in its vision. Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) is aging in his long and paramount career. As a man in love with the stage and never willing to invent a normal, strictly crowd-pleasing production, he has become exhausted; he works only with frenetic energy and is willing to stay up hours upon hours to perfect his goals. But all those years of light sleeping, pill-popping, alcohol consuming, womanizing, and smoking have finally caught up with him. Joe can barely handle it.In All That Jazz, Fosse's ideas are fearless, conveyed only in lightning speed. But only about half of them are thoroughly successful. His inhibitions are sometimes extremely dynamic, energetic, even touching, while others remain dynamic and energetic but lack that impassioned stinger. Take the "Take Off with Us" sequence, for example. The scene sees Gideon previewing his planned dance numbers for his upcoming play to executives who are offensively conservative but scared of being, dare I say it, mean. The one that comes before "Take Off with Us" has all of that theatrical ambition of a Fame piece; the executives already have the feeling that they're witnessing moments from their newest blockbuster. But what follows turns the practice studio into a smoking orgy of choreography, dubbed "Airotica," leaving its dancers nearly nude, sweating profusely, and rumbling around in sexual energy. It's one of the best dance sequences I've ever seen in my life. It's the pinnacle of the film. Nothing truly follows it with that same brash excellence.Fosse is a treasure in the world of Broadway and a sporadic genius in the movies. All That Jazz is his 8 1/2, both stylistically and in tone. In style, it's slightly Truffaut, unafraid to jump cut, use "natural" music, and combine the contempts of real life and the joys of fantasy. In tone, it's almost uncomfortable in its self-reflexiveness, as the film mirrors Fosse's life.Yet in the end, All That Jazz is split down the middle between annoying self-indulgence and filmmaking brilliance. Fosse's boldness is easy to appreciate, but there are times when the film's in your face style leaves you with a headache rather than a new lease on life. But Scheider is terrific and so is Fosse's choreography; All That Jazz is the definition of a mixed bag, if there ever was one. Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com

'All That Jazz' is Bob Fosse's ambitious yet ambiguous tale, that shifts from being great to dull. Inconsistent, yet daring, this 1979 Oscar-Winner isn't without its flaws, but it has its own touch, as well. 'All That Jazz' Synopsis: Late/Great Director/Choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid life of Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a womanizing, drug-using dancer.'All That Jazz' is beautiful to look at & the choreography of the sizzling dancer numbers are beyond astonishing. But, Fosse's narcissistic Screenplay doesn't shine entirely. The unlikely protagonist's journey, played by Scheider, is affecting at times, but dull otherwise. Also, the writing gets a bit to saddening by the last-hour, which puts you off. Fosse's Direction, however, is superb. He has captured this tale, magnificently well. Cinematography & Editing are strongly done. Art Design is incredible. Make-Up is realistic.Performance-Wise: Its Scheider all the way. The Late/Great Hollywood Starwalt triumphs with a masterful, mesmerizing performance. He enacts Fosse, with the much-needed vulgarity & energy. It's a knock-out performance, without a shed of doubt! Jessica Lange as the angel of death, is first-rate. Leland Palmer as the troubled ex-wife, is highly competent. John Lithgow is simply fantastic in a brief role.On the whole, 'All That Jazz' is ultimately shaky, but Scheider is at the top of his game!