It's a film you've seen before many times. You know what it's really about. You know how it'll end. You know why it's made. It's that kind of self-burn you've watched a million times. It's often pretentious. It's feels like you should dislike it. It's indulgent, right? No. Biopics are a dime a dozen. And they are overdone. It's kind of exhausting to continually watch the same type of narrative. He was tortured! He was an asshole! He was probably scum! But! He was a brilliant artist. Most movies go like that. _All That Jazz_ seems to strafe so dangerously close to that territory over and over. But it kind of blows way past that so effortlessly. This is one of the most self-indulgent films I've seen in a very particular fashion. But let me ask you: would it work any other way? There's an understanding that this indulgence never glorifies Gideon. It almost vilifies him. There are people around him who care for him--begrudgingly, probably. Every time it feels like Gideon succeeds, it comes at the heels of fate dragging him down. I cannot imagine the kind of critical eye you must have to turn on yourself in order to make a movie so totally filled with loathing for your persona. I haven't seen a movie this good in a long, long time.

"At least I don't have to lie to you anymore" "All That Jazz" might be one of the best films I've seen in awhile. Depressing but brilliant . Taking the Broadway style of regret and death by making it so captivating. Director Bob Fosse takes the most negative parts of his life in the musical business and leaves a lasting memory into this masterpiece. A unique character study of Joe Gideon (played flawlessly by Roy Scheider), he directs and writes Broadway musicals. While also has sex with every woman he can, smokes a lot and I do mean A LOT. He's very unstable and I will leave it as that. However, I will leave you with this, it's Roy Scheider best performance of his entire career. Everything from the superb editing, characters, and the opening scene are on another level of extraordinary. Especially the choreograph of the actual show and the end performance is so excellent, it's got me interested in making movies of my own. Hell...I think I'm gonna die.

The numbers are fantastic but the rest of it falls pretty flat for me.

All That Jazz is easily one of the most powerful and personal films I’ve ever watched, without a doubt among my favorites of all time. It's staggering how emotionally raw and intimate it is, especially knowing it's partly autobiographical. You’re not just watching a story unfold; you’re living inside someone’s chaotic, brilliant, deteriorating mind. It’s surreal, yet realistic. Flamboyant, yet deeply human. What sets it apart is the way it captures that internal battle through creative storytelling. The psychological elements are stunning, both metaphorically rich and emotionally grounded. It’s like stepping into a dream that’s slowly collapsing in on itself. And yet, it’s never incoherent or pretentious. The surreal flourishes elevate the film without overshadowing the raw truth beneath. The musical numbers are beautifully staged, the choreography is phenomenal, and the cinematography brings everything to life with style and depth. Even at over two hours, the pacing is perfectly tuned, it never drags, because every moment feels vital to the emotional arc. But ultimately, it’s the characters, especially the flawed and fascinating Joe Gideon, that make this so unforgettable. You don’t just watch him, you feel him. And that’s rare. This is cinema at its most introspective, expressive, and brutally honest.

To begin with, All that Jazz, the biographical film of Bob Fosse, is a frantic mess. This is appropriate however, since Fosse’s own life, especially during the time the film purportedly portrayed, was a frantic mess. Directed by the great choreographer and director himself, and starring Roy Scheider in an against type casting choice, the film follows Joe Gideon, a Fosse pseudonym, as he directs a Broadway play and edits an overbudgeted film about a stand up comic. He tries to deal with his girlfriend, ex-wife, and daughter, while bearing his soul to an angel in white (Jessica Lange) and consuming as many uppers as possible as he inevitably heads down a path leading towards death. Interspersed with musical numbers and frenetic cutting, All That Jazz is self-indulgent and pretentious, yet curiously engaging. The film probably details the period in his life when he was directing Chicago on Broadway while producing the Dustin Hoffman film Lenny. Though Fosse is not in the same league with other directing greats who have made similar biographical films (Fellini, Woody Allen), All That Jazz serves as a curious and interesting entry.