Cadillac Records Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
n this tale of sex, violence, race, and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, "Cadillac Records" follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.
| Tim Bellow | Man in the Caddy |
| Tony Bentley | Lomax |
| Lawrence P. Beron | Overseer |
| Eric Bogosian | Alan Freed |
| Marc Bonan | Keith Richards |
| Adrien Brody | Leonard Chess |
| Cedric the Entertainer | Willie Dixon |
| Wayne Cobham | Piano - Ettas Recording Recording Group |
| Ryan Curtis | Picnic Boyfriend |
| Mos Def | Chuck Berry |
| Eshaya Draper | Geneva's 7 Year Old Son |
| John Farrer | Violinist - Ettas Recording group |
| Shiloh Fernandez | Phil Chess |
| Doug W. Goldman | Trumpet - Ettas Recording group |
| Gano Grills | Slick Pimp |
| Darnell Martin |
6.70 out of 10 (2106 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Another okay movie from Hollywood
posted on 24 Aug 2009I guess I just have to face it Hollywood is devoid of good dialog writers and writers in general. Cadillac Records should have been Dreamgirls for the Blues, but the dialog was much too weak to support the tremendous talent that was on the scene. Though the music was nice it was the stories of the principals that should have shined but all they seemed to be able to do was curse and give off quick one liners. My husband forgot about the movie an hour after we left the theater; a sure sign of its weakness. I don't blame Beyonnce, I can understand her not wanting to wait for Hollywood to give out good Black Female roles. I also feel sorry for the likes of Gabrielle Union (also Angela Bassett who I saw in a trailer for another ridiculous movie tragedy). These women deserve better and so do the other great music geniuses of Chess Records. 6/10
A Vegas Tribute Band Has More Soul
posted on 18 Aug 2009Yet another musician-based biopic, sad but true. It's a musical recreation of early recording artists at Chess Records circa 1950-1960's, the Chicago Blues' holiest temple. Marquee roles include Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry. Pulling strings from behind the glass is owner/macher, Leonard Chess. Unfortunately, Hollywood can even f**k up the blues. In it's profligate grab for cash, the executives seem to have found a formula which entails hiring music and film stars to pose and emote for an hour and a half in order to sell a soundtrack. Do they teach this stuff at USC film school? Or does the new breed bypass appreciation of the medium altogether? Is it all dollars and cents? For every good bit of casting, such as Jeffrey Wright in the role of Muddy Waters, there are countless others who flail around, mug, grimace, bleed, and of course sing. Adrian Brody will not remember this role as a hallmark in his career. At what point did the director, Darnell Martin, throw up her hands and quit caring? Contracting Beyonce to fill the role of Etta James is like casting a Persian kitten with dyed tips to play a bloody-mouthed mother lion growling her need across the hot nighttime skies. Whoever made this movie should be ashamed. Hell, I'm ashamed and I only watched it.This movie is so bad it will probably make money. The producers know their market: youthful audiences aroused by celebrity casts (Mos Def, Beyonce), and older fans enticed by the Blues legends of their youth. We need look no farther than the recent box office success of similar films including Taylor Hackford's "Ray," James Mangold's "I Walk the Line," and Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls." Each one focusing on the recording industry with its supply of soundtrack hits, stars and prestigious awards. This movie sips from that same well.Cadillac Records borrows heavily from those films, but lacks any focus. It's a compendium of characters, songs, sub-plots in search of a main thread. They'd probably have achieved their ends more successfully by making "Muddy," thereby concentrating on one major luminary instead of an entire stable of acts. Or "Etta," since R and B is a more commercially popular and viable commodity in 2009 than the three-chord limitations of Chicago Blues. In fact Cadillac Records tried to fit about 5 biopics into one, which was an unfortunate conception.A tribute lounge band in Las Vegas gives more integrity to the Chicago legends than this movie does. There's something so soulless and imitative about it, as if it were written, filmed, edited and finished by a cell of marketing executives bent on scraping every last dollar out of its tired carcass.
a movie that rocks
posted on 14 Aug 2009The movie-- is all together excellent! love music then love the film. def takes you through the whole soundtrack so pick that up first... with artist mos def Sadiq Beyonce Solange Nas go see it now!If are looking for a film to fill your satisfaction this could or could not be it! I mean it does give a different level of satisfaction... very fast passed and very up to date at the same time. The movie really does get you in and out !Each musical artist at Cadillac Records is born and then famous then moves on.! the time period is classic as this type of music was on the verge. great appearance by the Beatles!
Huge
posted on 12 Aug 2009While this film lacks an original framework (it's "Ray" and "La Bamba" and "Hot Wax" and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"....), both the subject--a seminal recording label--and the performances make this electrifying entertainment.I can't speak to the accuracy of its historical facts regarding Leonard Chess' exploitation of some of music's largest figures, but the screenplay zooms along and takes us with it. Jeffrey Wright finally gets a role that hopefully will secure his stature. It's overdue. As Muddy Waters his towering strength both as a character and an actor are very impressive here. As well, the entire supporting cast (and it's a large cast) really rise to the occasion. Columbus Short as Little Walter and Gabrielle Union as Water's wife are equally impressive. And in smaller roles, Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf and Mos Def as Chuck Berry nearly steal the show.I've never been much of a fan of Adrien Brody, but in the first half of the film, he's quite effective. It's only when Beyoncé Knowles arrives that he stumbles, and who can blame him. Ms. Knowles takes a sensational role and scorches the screen. As the conflicted and troubled Etta James, there's a scene on a livingroom floor in front of a fireplace that should win Ms. Knowles many awards. And we're given a generous helping of sensational James' track very well covered by Ms. Knowles.When we watch America's taste in music change--both before and after the centerpiece of this story--we're at first exhilarated at the discovery of this "new" form of music, and when it wanes and the lives that were propelled to stardom flag, we feel an enormous sadness. But what we know today--that these individuals became legends--is of great consolation.I don't care that the structure is straightforward. The recreation of the period and it's attitudes are spot on, and the cinematography by Anastas N. Michos make the film rise above any weakness in the script.Then, there's the soundtrack....
Cadillac Records: A Comment.
posted on 08 Aug 2009It's a musical showcasing unknown artists who perform songs in strange but inventive ways never heard before. It's about their de facto representative, their rise to dizzying success as well as their many troubles and, in some cases, their fall to dreadful lows. It is about their struggles (and agent's maneuvering) to be heard on the radio and thereby sell their records. It's about life in the big city and race relations during times of segregation. It's about addiction. Clubs. Showbiz. Records. Radio. Payola. Loyalty. Flamboyance. Big houses and shiny, new cars. Fidelity and infidelity. Sex. Drugs. Even rock and roll. And, it's a true story. But, it's not "Dreamgirls." Nor is it "Ray." Or "La Bamba." Or even "Hustle & Flow." Although it does bear more than a little resemblance to those films and others of similar ilk. There are so many films of this type that there should be an actual name for this subgenre, one that sticks."Cadillac Records" is much more low-key than "Dreamgirls" (more similar, perhaps, to "Ray"). Its cinematography and production design (by Anastas Michos and Linda Burton, respectively) are much less dazzling and flamboyant. And it is much less hyped. But it works reasonably well as a film, which, when making a movie, should be the first and foremost goal. Although it is not inspired enough to break away from the typical artist-biography path, it does tell its story better, is better directed, features better acting (Knowles included) and is better accomplished in terms of basic film-making technique (e.g., editing) than "Dreamgirls." Nevertheless, like any such musical, the standout feature is the fine music, the whole reason the film exists, crafted for fans and fans-to-be.
really good film with great music
posted on 08 Aug 2009Story of Muddy Waters Leonard Chess and the rise and fall of Chess Records. Its a music filled tale that is a wonderful look at the men and women who made the music that changed the world. Wonderfully acted the performances by Adrian Brody as Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Beyonce Knowles as Etta James, Mos Def as Chuck Berry and Cedrick the Entertainer as Willie Dixon are all sterling. (I'm annoyed with the CD since it appears some of the songs are not on it-how could they not have Knowles doing At Last? But I digress). The film is told in flashback by Cedrick who recounts the rise and fall and its a a good one. If the film has any problem its that its rather distant at times. We get to see the events but much of the time we don't feel them I wanted to know more about Chess and Waters and James, and while we do get to know them, there is some line that prevents it from becoming KNOWING them. Still this is a film that often drifts into greatness with moments like the Stones showing up at the recording studio or Chuck Berry's audience breaking the color barrier wonderful to watch. Definitely worth a look. If you like the music or good movies, see this film.
Good show
posted on 06 Aug 2009I can't say Cadillac was historically accurate, but it's not designed as a documentary or a history it's entertainment. Personally I really enjoyed the film. I found the story to be an effective means to introduce new audiences to some classic music with some historic elements mixed in for flavor. Cadillac is a well produced piece the look of the film was well crafted, I was able to easily buy into the time period of the costumes and sets. All of the cast performances were enjoyable, Jeffrey Wright's Muddy Waters stands out as does Mos Def's Chuck Berry. For me Eamonn Walker stole the show as Howlin Wolf, his intensity and presence was amazing. Walker and Wright's scenes were the most enjoyable in the film. Watching the conflict between the characters of Waters and Wolf had me wishing for more. The music is performed most by the actors and carries well. Having a cast peppered with professional musicians made this effort quite effective.
Listen to the Original Music Instead
posted on 04 Aug 2009"Cadillac Records" trades in vulgar racist stereotypes that demean and defame the real life persons upon whom the film allegedly is based. The evil formula in use is one familiar to anyone who has heard the type of misleading, underhanded and backstabbing gossip whose polish is camouflage for malice. Each character is given a seemingly admiring build up, only to be savaged by a scurrilous and scandalous focus on such vulgar vices as foul-mouthed language, fornication, drug addiction and avarice. The film-makers, who are much less talented than their subjects, seem to be saying that the price a great artist must pay for his gift is to be thought of as a guttersnipe. The lurid images presented are a blight upon the memory of some of the great blues artists of all time. I've met several of the named individuals depicted and don't see any connection between the real life persons and the ones presented on screen. To give you an idea of how far off the mark the film is, in over 40 years of being a devoted blues fan I have never once heard a blues musician or another fan use profanity of any kind, while in the dialogue of the film profanity is closer to being the rule rather than the exception. The film-makers had the option of highlighting any dramatic aspect of their subject's lives that they could think of, and chose to devote an enormous amount of attention to ugly, unimportant and possibly non-existent details, showing incredibly poor artistic judgment.I don't doubt that the makers of "Cadillac Records" had the advice of attorneys before they put their travesty on screen and that they will claim, if challenged, that the incidents presented are all true to life. But I very strongly doubt that they'd be able to present convincing proof of some of the more objectionable content, which I believe may have been based on questionable rumors, mere anecdotes or unsubstantiated gossip. One thing at least is terribly clear: whatever the facts are, the emphasis is entirely wrong. The great Chess recording stars were not stupid, lecherous, violent or greedy; they were popular geniuses beloved of millions of people all over the world, which is how they must be remembered. Don't see this awful film if you can possibly avoid it.
Excellent film.....needed more Chuck Berry
posted on 04 Aug 2009Chuck Berry was the greatest pioneer in Rock 'N' Roll history. He is ranked by Rolling Stone Mag as the 5th greatest performer in its history. He wrote music and lyrics that will live forever, played a tremendous guitar (Rolling Stone Mag lists his as number 6th in their top 100 guitar players list) and sang real well. I wish this film would have concentrated more on him.I read that Beyonce' gained 15 pounds to play Etta James and weighed in at 135 pounds. Etta James at one time, believe it or not I checked this out, weighed over 400 pounds.The intent and sincerity of the director and writer was superb, but this film was somewhat flawed with inconsistencies. They had Chuck Berry singing "No Particular Place to Go" at the beginning of his stardom in the mid 1950s.Actually he recorded this hit record in 1962. In the film Berry sang "Promised Land," a super song but a non hit that never made the top 40. Why did they not have Chuck Berry sing his great hit songs such as "roll over Beethoven," "School Days," "Sweet Little 16," "Rock 'N' Roll Music," "Back in the USA" or "Johnny B Goode"? Also, Leonard Cress never, according to famed music critic George Varga, had an affair with Etta James, and the degree to which Leonard Cress cheated and exploited his musicians was not dealt with.Ralph Bass, who was not in the film, not Cress produced Etta James' recording sessions and Cress Record mainstays Bo Didley and John Lee Hooker were missing from the film. I do, nevertheless, highly recommend this film and would rate it a 3 on a zero to 4 star scale.
sure, it may have it's share of clichés and pit-falls, but it makes you feel the Blues, deep down your spine, long after you leave
posted on 31 Jul 2009It's hard to get a feel for a specific time and period in movies let alone an actual mood of a particular music. The best bio-pics on musicians tend to get it just about right (Bird, Sid & Nancy, The Doors, Walk the Line) even if the films aren't great or, even worse, have those tired old conventions of real-life people fit in tidy fashion for a 2-hour storyline. Sometimes all we can hope for is that they get the mood right, and even that isn't attained; some years back the wildly over-praised Ray had strong performances but, to me, didn't really capture that feel of what it was like to be in the midst of something really spectacular- we only saw it being great for Ray Charles (not that his music didn't help the movie, somewhat besides the point).There's an attitude to a kind of music, whether it's punk or jazz or psychedelic rock or even in "wtf" mode in I'm Not There. The best thing about Cadillac Records, the thing that will have me go back and watch it again more than anything, is that it captures what it was like to be around the one of the significant blues explosions in America. There was always blues in the US in the 20th century, but it grew steadily, out of sorrow and bad days and nights and hate and love gone bad or good for African Americans. Cadillac Records covers some of the crucial blues artists- Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry (the cross-over), Willie Dixon, Etta James- and how their personalities were shaped by whatever was around them, and then into the songs. We may not get an entire life story out of all those in the film, but unlike Walk the Line or Ray we don't need it at all to know these people, or the characters.The actors, it should be said, really do a lot of heavy lifting here. The music, it goes without saying, is spectacular and wonderful and often shown as developing out of a myriad of things (frustration, sadness, joy, craziness, anguish, love), but the script does follow some of those lines that are troublesome in bio-pics (one character, Little Walter, is the proverbial black sheep and that's almost all he is, and there's the obvious dippings in-and-out of relationship things).So, the actors fill in the gaps in the formula, and make it far more enjoyable and full of life than it might have in other hands; this is the wisdom of the director Darnell Martin, usually a TV director. He casts not entirely on if they exactly fit the original people, but if they got the right stuff for the particular person: Muddy Waters, the real bad-ass of the group and the real main character of the story, is given powerhouse form by Jeffrey Wright in every frame; Beyonce Knowles, while hardly the worst thing in Dreamgirls, completely redeems herself and then some as Etta James, going all out in a full-fleshed out dramatic performance (how well she sings is a given); Columbus Short, given the walking cliché of Little, takes it for everything it's worth, and it is never less than interesting; Eaommon Walker (from Oz) is great as Howlin' Wolf in any scene; Mos Def finds the line of hamming it up and playing it for real for Chuck Berry, and makes it work all the way; Adrien Brody, as the token white main player, is given not a lot to work with either, but is also riveting and captivating and a reminder of why he won the Oscar years back.But with all this gushing about the actors, I shouldn't forget about the music, the blues, all of it lovingly depicted (maybe at times too lovingly- Cedric's narration) while also in rightful critical form on how the blues got completely ripped off by any (arguably talented) rock band waiting in the wings. You can feel the blues dripping off the screen in some scenes in the first half of the film, the scenes with Waters playing in the club or just in his bedroom, or Chuck Berry playing on stage with a mixed crowd, or the dialog in certain scenes. As a fan of the blues, it hit its target right on spot while hopefully converting some who don't know Muddy Waters or Howlin Wolfs' catalogs like Ray Charles. One more cliché to note, a positive one: it gets you whistling as you leave the theater and tapping your feet at your seat. That's good enough sometimes.
female director Darnell Martin
posted on 27 Jul 2009Although I wish the movie had been a little more on the art-house side, I was happy to see the era brought to life with such a marvelously charismatic and captivating assortment of actors (Jeffrey Wright was more than solid, but the beautiful Eamonn Walker as Howlin Wolf was my favorite, after the beautiful Brody). Not enough has been said about female director Darnell Martin, who, like Etta James, is a very fair-skinned woman of African descent. It's likely she can appreciate Etta's confused position as a mixed-race woman in the mid-20th century. Martin's foregrounding of the position of the women characters, whose own pain, ambition and insecurity had to take a back seat to the pain, ambition and insecurity of their men, was for me the real core of the picture. Wright and Gabrielle Union, as well as Brody and Beyonce, are at their best when conveying how romantic love is so often frustrated, both by gender and by racial power plays.
Absolutely amazing movie
posted on 19 Jul 2009I have to say that is the first time i ever submitted a comment on IMDb even if i check the site every time before watching a movie but this one really forced me to urge every one who reads these to see the movie. It was one of the best movies i've seen in a while, on my top10 of all time for sure. The story is amazing, the acting superb and the music.....absolutely phenomenal. As a blues and rock'n'roll fan, this movie got me more excited then any other. As soon as it was over i had to get up and go buy records from muddy waters, little Walter and Co. I am honored to be a huge fan of those artists, thrilled a movie was made to honor their memory, ashamed of knowing only their songs and not their life stories till now and sad i wasn't born half a century ago to see them perform with my own two eyes. Simply beautiful.
Loved it!!
posted on 17 Jul 2009I saw the movie today and loved it! Jeffrey Wright steals it with his outstanding performance as Muddy Waters. I'm definitely looking for best supporting actor nods for Mr. Wright. Mos Def is both hilarious and surprisingly magnificent as he captures the spirit of Chuck Berry. Beyonce Knowles gives a very worthwhile performance as the Etta James, capturing her songs, especially "At Last", in such unique ways that they became her own. The rest of the ensemble case, including Adrian Brody, Gabrielle Union and many others, were wonderful. Many reviews criticize writer/director Darnell Martin for his non-factual historical account of Chess Records; however, the movie challenges viewers to go back and research the facts while becoming introduced or reacquainted with the musical genres that lay the foundation for all contemporary R&B and hip hop sounds.
impressing job beyonce! and great movie!
posted on 17 Jul 2009The movie had my face glued to the screen during every scene. but what i was i really impressed by was how well Beyonce acted in this film. She did more acting in this than she did in Dreamgirls and i think she portrayed Etta James very well. I think people are blinded by her singing career and expect her to be Halle Berry. Beyonce is doing good for her experience as an actor.The film itself was also a great movie and explained everything clearly through the acting. I compare this film to Dreamgirls because they were around the same era and I think acting wise this film was much better, but dreamgirls wins for singing talent. but enough about Dreamgirls, Cadillac Records is a wonderful, inspirational, and interesting film.
This boring, superficial movie could've been better. TQS Breakdown PROS/CONS
posted on 15 Jul 20091. It was a necessary history lesson for young people in understanding where most of today's music originated from.(PRO)2. Jeffrey Wright gave a good performance as Muddy Waters. He was amusing at times with enough mystique to make him interesting without making him a total bafflement.(PRO)3. Mos Def was good as Chuck Berry. This had plenty to do with the fact that his character was the most engaging. He was witty and talented, possessing most of the film's admirable qualities.(PRO)4. Beyonce gave her best performance to date. She was captivating at times. Seductive.(PRO)========================================1. I was bored. The movie took too long for anything real to happen. The first thirty minutes played like an uneventful montage between Chess and Waters.(CON)2. The characters were all one dimensional. Every single one of them. They were as much developed as characters in dramatizations one would see on "America's Most Wanted." In fact, the whole film felt like one big dramatization about the rise and fall of Cadillac Records. The dots never connected.(CON)3. I didn't engage with any of the characters. In other words, I couldn't care less. Oh, your father doesn't want anything to do with you? I don't care. Are the police working you over for being a loud mouth? I don't care. You feel slighted because your husband is out having babies with other women? (yawn) Get in line. I know there were too many characters to develop them all fully and appropriately, in which case the story should have focused on the necessary few. In some cases, they all seem to be doing something that made me disconnect from them even more, like the kid Little Walters. I had a problem with everything he did. He would act out and do cowardly things to people. Where were the humanistic qualities in most of them? They all seem to be looking out for themselves, except for Muddy Waters. I never pitied any of them. They were flawed but we never go to know their inner, personal or extra-personal conflicts. And they seemed to be predictable.(CON)4. The transitions were not smooth at all. The story and editing together felt choppy, erratic and disjointed. This goes back to my point about the film never "connecting the dots." One minute we're here, the next we're there, cutting a time we needed to understand or see simple yet eventful things like Chess getting married.(CON)5. Adrian Brody's performance was mediocre at best in a futile effort to breath life into a character without focus. I knew I was in trouble in the first scene, with him staring in the wake of a Polish father dragging his daughter away from him. He uttered something about one day his wife "will drive a Cadillac," the worst execution of a line in Brody's career.(CON)6. Too much musical number scenes and not enough story. It wasn't a musical. So, what's with the constant music being played? Also, the music was so loud it clouded out the already difficult to make-out dialogue. The sound mixer should have been replaced with one who understands the necessity of dialogue in a film like this.(CON)7. The rest of the performances were not good at all. Gabrielle Union's facial expressions made her look like she was going mad instead of being emotional about her circumstances. And what's that thing she does with her lips folded in? Columbus Short was terrible. Cedric the Entertainer was just... there. Emmanuelle Chriqui looked like she was asking in her mind, "Why am I here?" 8. I didn't believe the whole atmosphere of the film. I mean, the over all film had no life. I guess this was responsible for me being bored. I blame the writer/director.(CON)9. Beyonce's best wasn't enough. I said it was her best performance but it wasn't very good in my opinion. When she wasn't captivating and seductive, she was whiny and boring. In the scene at the restaurant, Etta exploded in rage, throwing a glass at the floor and for that brief moment, it felt like I was watching Effie White from "Dreamgirls." The voice, the tone, the execution of the line as she breaks the glass. Besides that one unique moment of her list of underwhelming beats, she was flat and her character was all over the place. I see, like in "Dreamgirls," she still have trouble staying in the moment for a whole scene. There will be a flash of Etta James or whomever she was impersonating, then it'll be Beyonce trying to act the rest of the way. Her performance and character was inconsistent. But, she was very easy on the eyes.(CON)IN CLOSING: I was constantly asking myself about these characters, "What does he/she want and how is he/she trying to get it?" There was never any real inciting incident and the ending was anti-climatic. And for all those who are betting their home on Beyonce winning an Oscar for her performance in this film, let me be the one to save you all from being homeless in what appears to be the coldest winter in years (at least those that live in cold places like the NYC). Not only will Beyonce NOT win an Oscar for this, she will also be overlooked for a nomination by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Cadillac Records Doesn't Exactly Ride the High Country **1/2
posted on 11 Jul 2009The music is fascinating but it's still the same old story in movie land. A group of guys make it big in the record industry in the 1950s and mayhem results.Yes, it's the old story of what success can lead to.Adrien Brody has the lead role of Len Chess, a Jewish guy whose parents came from Poland. The last time we heard Poland mentioned in a movie, Brody won the Oscar for "The Pianist."Brody certainly needs to have gone to a smoking cessation clinic after this film. This guy can really put those cigarettes away. While I imagine that Len Chess was a heavy smoker, it becomes very disgusting and poignant as Chess died of a massive heart attack at age 37.There is the usual screaming, violence and killing in this picture as you can imagine. Beyonce Knowles is wonderful as the drug-addicted Etta James. She belts out AT LAST in a phenomenal way.
Good movie, but lacks era accuracy
posted on 05 Jul 2009In my opinion, this movie is pretty good, for a Hollywood "biography". We all know how historically accurate those kind of movies are. The music is good. Although Chuck Berry was poorly portrayed. Those 50's Cadillacs are fabulous! The thing that I disliked the most in this movie was the lack of using the proper cars for the year portrayed. Example: 1941- there was a 1950 Mercury.1947- many mid-'50s cars were there. 1955- there were 1957-58 Cadillacs.I've seen many movies portraying the past, and most had the details down pretty good. Sadly,not this one. If this is 1941, don't show props, or cars that didn't even exist in that year! A '50 Merc belongs in 1950 +. A 1958 Cadillac belongs in 1958+, not in 1954! And when they show Muddy Waters in his 1948 Cadillac, they showed the interior of a 1955 Cadillac!The producers get an "F" on this topic. Other than that, the movie was good.
Great Actors - But Once Again Hollywood Gets it All Wrong
posted on 01 Jul 2009It is no doubt important for films to be entertaining story in order to be successful. So, sometimes you need, especially with Biopics to alter some things to create a flow to the story or more drama. But in this case there are way too many things left out or blatant errors. I will only cite one so as not to ruin the story for those who haven't seen it yet. There were two Chess Brothers responsible for this story. There was Leonard, played by Adrien Brody and then there was Phil, who is still alive and isn't in the story at all! That is like doing a movie on the first flight of the Kittyhawk and leaving out one of the Wright Brothers. Big mistake and takes away from the real events that made the time and events so controversial and important for music and culture not only as it was then-- but in a large way as it helped shape both today. The actors are great including Brody, the always excellent Jeffrey Wright and on, but why not tell the story like it was. Just as dramatic and entertaining. Oh well.
A hugely disappointing bundle of clichés
posted on 25 Jun 2009When I saw the previews for this film, I was thrilled at the prospect of a film about some very under-appreciated musicians - the blues men and women who set the stage for rock 'n' roll. However, this film may have been the most disappointing ever for me.This movie was so historically inaccurate that, as I watched it, I started getting angry at the injustice being done. It was full of stereotypes, cardboard cutouts of these larger-than-life musicians. Howlin' Wolf in particular was cut into a hayseed with a love for rusty trucks and bib overalls. Also, almost all of these musicians made it big in Memphis, not Chicago. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this isn't on the same planet as the truth.The storyline and writing were no better. The storyline has holes you could park a Cadillac in (excuse the pun) and the writing was laughably clichéd.I will say that whoever did casting did a good job, and the film was pretty well acted despite the awful dialog.I love this music and am fascinated by this period in music's history, but this movie did it no justice at all.
Absolutely fantastic... must see!
posted on 24 Aug 2009How can anyone write that this film is horrible?? (Maybe if your name is Poison?) I saw this movie twice in a row, and I was equally impressed both times. Can't wait till it's released on DVD, then I'll watch it many times again. The main characters (Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, Willie Dixon) are portrayed very realistic (yes Little Walter was pretty violent) and all the actors did a terrific job. Especially Columbus Short (Little Walter) who scared the heck out of me, and Beyoncé Knowles (Etta James) who caused tears in my eyes on more than one occasion. Man, can this lady sing! This film is a must see for all blues lovers, anyone who wants to know more about the history of music, and all that enjoy a great movie!!