Editing All That Jazz (film) (section)

==Plot==
Joe Gideon is a theater director and choreographer attempting to balance staging his latest Broadway musical, ''NY/LA'', while editing a Hollywood film he has directed, ''The Stand-Up''. He is an alcoholic, a driven workaholic who chain-smokes cigarettes, and a womanizer constantly flirting and engaging in sexual encounters with a stream of women. Each morning, he begins his day by playing a tape of [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]] while taking doses of [[Visine]], [[Alka-Seltzer]], and [[Dexedrine]], always concluding by looking at himself in the mirror and saying, "It's showtime, folks!" Joe's ex-wife, Audrey Paris, is involved with the production of the show but disapproves of his womanizing ways. Meanwhile, his girlfriend Katie Jagger and daughter Michelle keep him company. In his imagination, he flirts with an [[Personifications of death|angel of death]] named Angelique in a nightclub setting, discussing his life with her.

As Joe continues to be dissatisfied with his editing job, repeatedly making minor changes to a single monologue, he vents his anger on the dancers and in his choreography. This leads to a highly sexualized number of topless women during a rehearsal, frustrating the show's penny-pinching backers. One of the few moments of joy in his life occurs when Katie and Michelle perform a Fosse-style number for Joe as an homage to the upcoming release of ''The Stand-Up'', moving him to tears. During a [[table-read]] of ''NY/LA'', Joe experiences severe chest pains and is admitted to the hospital with severe [[angina]].

Joe brushes off his symptoms, attempting to leave for rehearsal, but he collapses in the doctor's office and is ordered to stay in the hospital for several weeks to rest his heart and recover from exhaustion. ''NY/LA'' is postponed, but Gideon continues his antics from the hospital bed, smoking and drinking while hosting endless streams of women in his room. As he does, his condition continues to deteriorate, despite Audrey and Katie remaining by his side for support. A negative review for ''The Stand-Up'', released during Joe's hospitalization, comes in despite the film's financial success, and Gideon has a massive coronary event.

While Joe undergoes [[coronary artery bypass surgery]], the producers of ''NY/LA'' realize that the best way to recoup their money and make a profit is to bet on Gideon's death: the insurance proceeds would result in a profit of over half a million dollars. As Gideon goes on life support, he directs extravagant musical dream sequences in his head starring his daughter, wife, and girlfriend, all berating him for his behavior. He realizes he cannot avoid his death and has another heart attack.

As the doctors try to save him, Joe runs away from his hospital bed behind their backs, exploring the basement of the hospital and the autopsy ward before allowing himself to be taken back. He goes through the [[five stages of grief]]—anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—featured in the stand-up routine he had been editing. As he gets closer to death, his dream sequences become more and more hallucinatory. As the doctors try one more time to save him, Joe imagines a monumental [[variety show]] featuring everyone from his past where he takes center stage in an extensive musical number ("Bye Bye Life", a whimsical parody of "[[Bye Bye Love (The Everly Brothers song)|Bye Bye Love]]"). In his dying dream, Joe can thank his family and acquaintances, as he cannot from his hospital bed, and his performance receives a massive standing ovation. Joe finally dreams of himself traveling down a hallway to meet Angelique at the end. Meanwhile, his corpse is zipped up in a [[body bag]].