All That Jazz Review - Off The Shelf Reviews 

Many people say that CABARET is Fosse's masterpiece, and it is a great film, but... ALL THAT JAZZ is his masterpiece. No other film has ever combined realism and surrealism as well as this one.

Here are a few trivia items: In the film the movie he is editing is called The Standup. Fosse directed a film call Lenny about Lenny Bruce, a standup comic. In the film, he is directing the musical called NY/LA. Fosse directed the stage musical Chicago. The opening number in Chicago is the song "All That Jazz". The editor in the movie (he's mostly in the background) is Alan Heim, the actual editor of the film (he won an Academy Award for this film). Paula Abdul's Cold-Hearted Snake video was based on Take Off With Us. Ben Vereen, the bubbly Emcee who introduces the finale, was in Fosse's stage production of Pippin and had first appeared in Fosse's first directorial effort, Sweet Charity.

THANKS guys, what a pleasure to listen to your pleasure at discovering this!! Though just a teenager, I was already a massive Bob Fosse fan when this film came out, so had the great experience of seeing it at the cinema back then !! Later at university, it was my Drama teacher’s favourite film, the perfect example of how to "dramatize" human experiences, feelings and thoughts! SUCH an eminently rewatchable film too! Btw, it’s available free on RU-vid as I write this!!

When I saw you were reviewing this film, I got instant jazz hands! Excellent review!!

Well done Gary and Iain! Your analysis of this complex autobiographical look at Bob Fosse’s complicated life was brilliant. I remember seeing this film and the scene where Gideon is suddenly being zipped up in a body bag was jarring for me too. Another great review guys. 🙂🙂🙂

Saw this movie in 1979 while on a break touring with a college children's theater group - yup I was a theatre student and of course all of us majoring in theater just loved it. The opening dance audition montage is called a cattle call and even though we all knew that your primaries - lead dancers, actors, singers aren't directly picked from a cattle call - there usually several call backs before the final casting, we knew they had to shorten the process to fit the running time restraints of a movie but they did it so masterfully that it fit the major motif of Fosses film. The title of this film is taken from a song in Chicago: And All That Jazz.

Bravo!!! I grew up with "All That Jazz", and it's still just a beautiful work of Fosse's. This doesn't get enough love from the viewing public, but I'm glad that I'm not alone in loving this.

This movie was Bob Fosse's autobiography. He ended up dying from a heart attack on a street with his ex wife by his side.

Love to see you guys cover a film like this that's a bit outside the box. I would also highly recommend Star 80 (1983), which was Fosse's last film and revolves around the short career and tragic murder of Dorothy Stratten.

thanks guys. shelf life 4ever.

Fantastic review guys! I have to admit that I was late to the party on this one as I didn't see it until just a couple of years ago.....I LOVE Roy Scheider and this might very well be his best career performance.

Great job ... however, as a person old enough to remember when this was released; it makes me sad when you said it has been forgotten. And you are right about that ... I have not thought about this movie in years; I will have to find my special edition DVD and watch it. [edit: there are very few "perfect" movies and this one is one of them]

Love the range of movies u guys do! Allways cheers me up during bad times and allways look forward to a new review! Thanks Gary and ian! Please keep it up! u do an amazing job! 👍 Appreciate it so much! 😊

So pleased that you adored this masterpiece. At the age of ten, I convinced my mom to bring me to the theater to see this film. I had been a huge Scheider fan since the age of 7 and I was well aware that All That Jazz was unlike anything Roy had ever done. I had to see it! We couldn't afford lavish trips but going to the movies was my escape and luckily, my folks enjoyed it too. In my mind's eye, I can recall the theater was mostly empty and it was a cold winter night. This film has stayed with me for over 40 years and I continue to recommend it often. Without question, the Academy of Motion Sciences screwed up royally. This film deserved to win the top 4 major awards. Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Film... yet it won Best Design over Alien? Great review guys!

when covid became international, i printed (landscape) it's showtime, folks. and taped it to my bathroom mirror. your reviews and my own taste have great overlap, i am surprised glad that your and my thoughts of all that jazz are simpatico.

I love this movie. One thing about the Take Off With Us dance that took me awhile to understand fully. If you recall, Joe Gideon is stumped how to move forward with the number. He goes and talks with his ex-wife, threatening to cut the number. But Audrey, rehearsing herself with the pianist, would rather talk about his infidelities, and she challenges him to remember one of his "girlfriend's" name. He can't. But Audrey does. Joe has a moment of realization about himself. He walks out of the room and Audrey tells the pianist the number is not going to be cut. What we don't see is how this bit of self-realization transformed into the second half of Take Off With Us, the Air-otica part. Notice how in the number there's an emphasis on the dancers stating their names. So, Joe was able to take something very personal and internal and rid himself of that block that he had - and to create a much more meaningful and complex dance. That's why, after the dance is over, Audrey looks at him with tears in her eyes and tells him it's the best thing he's ever done, then she calls him a son of a bitch. She knows where this came from.

I think this film gets probably overshadowed by Fosse's earlier musical "Cabaret". It's a shame - as "All That Jazz" is an amazing film - it takes risks and really uses the narrative well. What is even more sad, is that Fosse never got to make a version of "Chicago".

The black host is Ben Vareen, he was the toast of Broadway during that era...

Guys, thank you. I f'ing love this movie. The first time I saw it, only a few years ago, I, too, took a deep Fosse dive.

The show was insured. (The smoking doctor was the insurance company doctor to verify that Gideon was in good enough health to write a policy on.) If Joe died before a certain date, the producers get more money from the insurance payout than what they put into it, and they actually make money without ever opening. So they're rooting for him to die ASAP, but talking to Lithgow just in case he doesn't. He took the idea of his meaningless relationships that his ex wife was harping on him about and made it into Air-rotica. He was having a heart attack during the read through scene, and his ex wife knew him well enough to know something was radically wrong with him. I also think that scene was shot at two different speeds: he and his wife vs everyone else. My parents took me to see this when I was 12 in the theater.

Yeah great movie, it serves as a retrospective on cinema, back then the use of music and musicals itself were made thoughtfully, with proper consideration of the artistic visual and sound approach, totally different from musicals and the use of music in the mainstream cinema nowadays

I'll have to put this one on the need-to-watch list. Roy Scheider was a Brilliant actor and is sadly missed. Loved him in 2010 the year we make contact. As always, great review guys.

I just realized that Paula Abdul's Cold Hearted Snake has to be a tribute or inspired by that scene in this movie.

Oh cool, I've been thinking recently I need to get this and Cabaret on bluray.

And the end of the movie, right after that showdown great musical number of "Bye Bye Love" that cuts to a 2 seconds image of the body inside of a plastic bag and the zip by the forensic doctor is jaw dropping.

Not what I expected. I saw that title and had PTSD flashbacks to the time my mum would be singing along to Chicago 😮

Curious fact, like the terrifying Jeremy Black in The Boys from Brazil, All That Jazz was Erzsebet Foldi's (Michelle) only film.

Cabaret is a must to review for you too

What a great surprise! Loved this one!!!

Nice review. Yes, it is one of my favorite films. It is the most celebrated heart attack on film. A few years ago they did a mini-series called "Fosse/Verdon" that is also worth the look-see.

As always, your reviews are the absolute best. I completely agree with you about this film, it's a brilliant movie.

I remember hearing about this movie..but never watched it... Thank you Gary and Iain! 👍

All That Jazz is one of the greatest films ever made. Period. (I spent 25 years working in The Industry so I have a bit of a background).

I must admit I'm not really familiar with scheiders work outside of Jaws..But now I have the urge to check out more of his stuff.. Good review. :)

Watched this for the first time last night! One of the best things I've ever seen

I saw this movie when I was 19 or 20 at the theater. I was blown away! It's definately the best musical I have seen in my life. I am 64. I really like your reviews. Could I give you some recommendations?

That whole "I wish you weren't so generous with your c0ck." and him nodding reminds me of "Guilty as charged" from Dewey Cox. "DON'T YOU DARE WRITE A SONG RIGHT NOW DEWEY!!!" LOL

Another superb and entertaining analysis, I had forgotten how the good the film was until watching this. Top work guys, keep it up 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Awesome review as always guys! 👊👊

Thank you for the suggestion guys.

Man, if it wasn't for you guys i wouldn't know about this movie.

"All That Jazz" is one of my top five films and it's so personal. Sadly, unless you are older none of it makes much sense to a young person. I wish young people would pay attention to the past rather than trying to develop art with no history. Roy Scheider was such a genius actor. An interesting thing as a character he never really dances as Fosse did in real life. Fosse was working on the film, "Lenny" about Lenny Bruce and he was married to one of the great female dancers, Gwen Verdon.

shelf life! 🎉

Oh, you get to MEET Fosse's work, you lucky dog!

Just fantastic! You guys are true film aficionados!

This movie does seem very good! Thanks for reviewing guys!

wow what a unique and off the beaten path choice for a film review! Awesome! I knew Scheider started his career as a dancer but I'd seen Jaws before All That Jazz and it was so hard to imagine strong sturdy "everyman" Chief Brody now as skinny hard partying dance genius. One hell of a performance by Scheider!

Street car named desire

thanks so much for this review sirs!!! amazing as always and one of my favourite films! you guys are awesome!!!!!!!!!

Awesome shirt Iain

Fair play to you guys for giving this film your f*cking enthusiastic approval. I have purposefully f*cking avoided this flick, because I confused 'Jazz' with 'A Chorus Line'. Dance is not my f*cking thing. Frankly, I wasn't keen on the dance sequence at the start of 'Zulu' until I recognised the motifs that went on to be used on the Soundtrack. Anyhoo, much as I respect you f*cking guys, I doubt that I will run out and buy a copy any time soon. As for Ann Reinking, I often confused her with Samantha Eggar. I was almost expecting to hear you mention The 'Brood'. Me brain not work so good.

Kevin Smith!

Excellent. Please could you do Marathon Man

Yup, pretty much - the perfect movie - from a perfectionist. There's not a bad scene in the movie and it's thought out and flows like the best of Kubrick and The Palma ..... And Fellini- because of course it's the Fosse remake of 8 and a half. Fosse beats out Woody Allen's Stardust memories in the Fellini contest there.

good work

I love when 2 Queens talk about musical movies they relly get in to it and the bottom is so happy

#shelFLife 👊

I'm going to put this down to Iain taking his relatives to see "BARBIE-THE MOVIE." I think this is side effects. Get well soon Iain.

Good review.