A sad masterpiece, I suppose. The editing is virtuosic to the max, recalling Eisenstein and Vertov, and the overall structure of the story, which whiplashes between time periods in the real and fantasy lives of manic, obsessive choreographer-director Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), depends on that lightning cutting to cohere, because a viewer has no time to stop and mull anything over and must increasingly hang on tight and go with it. Widely supposed to be autobiographical of director-choreographer-writer Bob Fosse, the portrait it action-paints isn't flattering but is imposing and doesn't extend any sympathy to Joe, who, as we know early on, will die at if not before the ending. The many women in Joe's life, especially his young-teen daughter (Erzsebet Foldi, a phenomenal young dancer whose only picture this is), are the characters who elicit sympathy, and they're all beautiful. Of the film's men, only the performers are beautiful; those who serve dramatic purposes are homely and middle-aged. What keeps All That Jazz out of the pantheon of great movies, if anything, is its recycled and humdrum new songs--although one of the latter is presented as a mediocrity that Joe jacks up into a showstopper and that all the film's brilliant technique almost persuades us that he has. At the same time, the film's other men are made uneasy by Joe's tour-de-force; it's too sexy for them (though perhaps not sexy enough for many viewers). --Ray Olson

Directed by Bob Fosse, this is a 1979 American musical comedy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director.
The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his film Lenny while simultaneously staging the 1975 Broadway musical Chicago.
Although the dance sequences appear great and fascinating, the plot seems dull and foolish.
Compared to 1985 American musical: "A Chorus Line," this one is nothing but a flop.

"We take you everywhere, but get you nowhere."

"It's showtime, folks!
Vivacious, sexy, razzle dazzle showbiz tale directed by legendary choreographer-director Bob Fosse and loosely based on his life and Fellini's "8 1/2." In one of his most unconventional performances, everyguy Roy Scheider ("Jaws," "The French Connection") plays the Fosse surrogate, a driven, chain-smoking, unhealthy director simultaneously staging a show and editing a film about a comedian (Fosse directed a biopic about Lenny Bruce.). The dance numbers, even for someone who knows nothing about dance, are full of zest and sweaty energy. This movie was ahead of its time in ways. Fosse would direct one more film, "Star 80," before his death in 1987. The always excellent Criterion collection loads this with a second disc of extras. Also check out "Cabaret."

Stage legend Bob Fosse does a pas de deux with his own mortality in this beautifully conceived, semi-autobiographical story of Joe Gideon, an edgy Broadway director with insatiable appetites for perfection, sex, and dexedrine. Forsaking love and commitment, much to the chagrin of the women in his life, Gideon drives himself to produce bigger and better shows until a couple of blocked coronary arteries bring down the final curtain. Roy Scheider is amazing as the charismatic Gideon, his manic portrayal of a man dancing over the abyss is at once tragic and breathtaking. The supporting cast is strong and the musical interludes are superb culminating in one of Hollywood's more famous song & dance numbers as a hospitalized Gideon hallucinates his final farewell while Death (a luminous Jessica Lange) looks calmly on. Bold, brash and self-indulgent all the way, just like its director, this is one of the better films to come out of the 70s.

In spite of fantastic choreography and glamour from the golden years of Broadway, this movie has aged very very badly.

This was written and directed by Fosse and it features him in crisis over the deadline of a show, surrounded by countless women, most of whom he has slept with at some point. Wife, mistresses, chorus girls, women auditioning, etc...

This is a classic 70s macho film that looks out of date with today's gender politics, (all of the women adore him and think he is the greatest thing ever), and the ego trip gets tiresome (I ended up forwarding through a lot of it). The female characters are undeveloped to the point of caricature and end up serving as props to his ego.

Fosse was a fantastic choreographer and evokes an attractive bygone era, but that is about it.

Can't beat Fosse choreography and some of the great dancers. Love to look into the real life of dancers back then. Gets a bit weird in the end, but still worth it.

The first seven minutes is worth the whole movie. I saw the film originally in a movie theatre in 1979, hadn't seen it since, and still remembered the "On Broadway" open call sequence, with no dialogue, at the start. Fantastic modern dance sequence. Oh, and yes the shower, Vivaldi, eye drop, Dexedrine morning ritual of Joe Gideon (he even looks like Bob Fosse ) was also memorable after 30 or so years.

The path to self-destruction has never looked better or more interesting. When I go I hope it's a huge musical production with appearances by Ben Vereen and Jessica Lange.