(rated PG-13, 117 mins.) An unexpected year-end razzle-dazzle based on the 1975 Broadway musical, comes the story of Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) who kills a charming, con man, lover who promised to make her a star. When Roxie lands in the slammer, she meets her Warden, Mamma Worton (Queen Latifah pulling off with style, a role fit for Kathy Bates). Roxie also meets Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) a celebrity convict, who like Roxie, vies for the attention of the press and their lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), the Johnny Cochran of his time. Ruthless ambitions and a hunger for fame drive the two women forward in real and surreal dance numbers drummed up in Roxie’s mind. If Nicole Kidman could do it in “Moulin Rouge” so can this trio. Move over (once considered for this role) Liza, Zeta-Jones can really sing and dance. Zellweger comes off as an innocent Betty Boop floozy with fantastic legs, while Gere, (parading around in strapped knee highs during one scene — a long way since “American Gigolo”) is convincing with his vaudeville style vibe. He got his showbiz start in theatre, including musicals (who knew). The movie allows for inter-cuts and editing that stage doesn’t, making the result pure perfection, entertainment, steam, sex and violence in an enticing delivery.