All That Jazz (1979) Like 8 1/2, Only in form and style. Some fun dance numbers, Lovely costumes, light humor Ultimately nothing more. Confusing chaos Bob Fosse's manic descent Drinks, drugs, sex, women, Dance numbers, dream sequences, Watching this was not All That. (Tanka (短歌 tan-kah) poems are short poems that are five lines long, with the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable format. #Tanka #PoemReview

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.)

'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!

1st watched 8/23/2014 -- 7 out of 10(Dir-Bob Fosse): Dark comedic musical about the downfall of a Broadway musical director written and directed by Bob Fosse is very well done for the most part. Roy Scheider plays the overworked, overmedicated, playboy director who just refuses to give less of himself to his work and his body can't deal with it. This is advertised as a musical, but it's more a portrayal of a man who really has no direction to go but down because of his refusal to change his way of life. He admits to his faults but just doesn't deal with it. He cheated on his ex-wife, doesn't give enough time to his daughter, cheats on his current girlfriend, and is majorly obsessed to giving everything to his work to these faults. This movie does exactly what it wants to do almost perfectly. The only flaw, in my opinion, is an overlong slightly corny ending number. Fosse choreographs the dancing numbers -- which there are plenty of -- but they complement the story rather than just being an addition. The beautiful Jessica Lange portrays death and is used throughout to help show what's going on inside Scheider's character and introduces the inevitable very early on. The movie could be considered depressing but it's all done tongue-in-cheek(almost laughing at itself because of the choice of the subject matter). The two hours fly by because of the way the director presents the main character and gets your interest in his life. Pieces are revealed as the story moves forward and by the end you get a complete picture of the man's life. This movie is so much more than a musical even though these parts aren't bad either --- it should be held in acclaim as one of the better of it's kind -- don't miss this one.