The 2002 musical crime film that won Best Picture at the 75th Academy Awards is Chicago. Directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall, it follows Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two accused murderers who compete for fame, headlines, and the legal attention that may save them from execution.
The film was adapted from the 1975 stage musical, which itself grew out of a 1926 play by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins. Its story draws on sensational Chicago murder cases and examines how celebrity, publicity, and courtroom performance can blur the line between justice and entertainment. Renée Zellweger plays Roxie, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Velma, and Richard Gere plays their flamboyant lawyer Billy Flynn.
At the 2003 ceremony, Chicago won six Oscars from 13 nominations, including Best Picture. It became the first musical to win that prize since Oliver! in 1968. Moulin Rouge! was a Best Picture nominee the previous year, but it did not win; Nine and Dreamgirls were not the answer to this particular 2002 Oscar question.