Idlewild is an entertaining mess. It blends together musical styles and dances, historical periods with howling anachronisms, coy, almost childish gimmicks with R-rated sex and violence and The Cotton Club with Six Feet Under. Think of it as a 1930s remix. The movie has a "let's put on a show" casualness, yet choreography and music can't be slicker. But an entertaining mess is still a mess.
Fans of OutKast probably won't care. The film stars Antwan A. Patton and Andre Benjamin, aka Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast, who also serve as music supervisors. The film's writer-director is Bryan Barber, OutKast's frequent music-video director. This oddball concoction has sat on a shelf for nearly two years while Universal figured out how to sell it. Idlewild may just sell itself thanks to the stars and a hot soundtrack. But it won't satisfy sticklers for historical correctness. For instance, how do you feel about 1930s hip-hop?
The story revolves around a nightclub/whorehouse in Idlewild, Ga., circa 1935 whimsically called Church. Club manager Rooster (Patton) must confront a vicious gangster (Terrence Howard) who controls the flow of liquor to the club, while keeping girlfriends out of sight of his rightly suspicious wife Zora (Malinda Williams).
Rooster's childhood buddy Percival (Benjamin), a mortician by trade, plays piano at the club. He gets drawn out of his shell by the otherworldly beauty of the club's new and mysterious singer Angel (Paula Patton), forcing him to choose between her and his domineering father (Ben Vereen).
The filmmakers focus on the music as much as possible. Indeed most of the contrived plot makes little sense. Nor does the film make any attempt to examine how black culture existed and flourished in the Jim Crow South. This is a period piece with no period; all sense of history is banished.
The film is overloaded with cutesy gimmicks such as a flask that talks back to its owner, music sheets whose notes act as cartoon characters and a scene in which the mortician sings to an exquisite female corpse. Yes, he does.
The movie prides itself on a "retro-modern" look and sound. Its dances are a freestyle fusion of swing, hip-hop and break dance. The music jumps off from the R&B stylings of Cab Calloway and Bessie Smith to contemporary urban sounds. In other words, everything in the movie is subservient to the fact its soundtrack is an OutKast album.
At least Benjamin and Patton don't Take That approach as actors. They play genuine characters with shadings and nuances. The big news, performance-wise, is Paula Patton, reminding you somewhat of a young Whitney Houston, whose lovely voice is equaled by her beauty. Vereen is fine as the troubled father. Howard, of course, is smooth as silk as the sadistic villain. Making much too brief appearances are Macy Gray, Cicely Tyson and Patti LaBelle.
Barber oversees top-notch contributions from a behind-the-camera team that includes Pascal Rabaud's gymnastic camera work, Hinton Battle's eye-catching choreography, Shawn Barton's colorful costumes and Anne Goursaud's rhythmic editing.
IDLEWILD
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and HBO Films present a Mosaic Media Group/Forensic Films production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Bryan Barber
Producers: Charles Roven, Robert Guralnick
Executive producers: William Green, Robin O'Hara, Scott Macaulay
Director of photography: Pascal Rabaud
Production designer: Charles Breen
Music: John Debney
Costumes: Shawn Barton
Editor: Anne Goursaud
Cast:
Percival: Andre Benjamin
Rooster: Antwan A. Patton
Angel: Paula Patton
Trumpy: Terrence Howard
Ace: Faizon Love
Zora: Malinda Williams
Mother Hopkins: Cicely Tyson
Taffy: Macy Gray
Percy Senior: Ben Vereen
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 121 minutes...
Fans of OutKast probably won't care. The film stars Antwan A. Patton and Andre Benjamin, aka Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast, who also serve as music supervisors. The film's writer-director is Bryan Barber, OutKast's frequent music-video director. This oddball concoction has sat on a shelf for nearly two years while Universal figured out how to sell it. Idlewild may just sell itself thanks to the stars and a hot soundtrack. But it won't satisfy sticklers for historical correctness. For instance, how do you feel about 1930s hip-hop?
The story revolves around a nightclub/whorehouse in Idlewild, Ga., circa 1935 whimsically called Church. Club manager Rooster (Patton) must confront a vicious gangster (Terrence Howard) who controls the flow of liquor to the club, while keeping girlfriends out of sight of his rightly suspicious wife Zora (Malinda Williams).
Rooster's childhood buddy Percival (Benjamin), a mortician by trade, plays piano at the club. He gets drawn out of his shell by the otherworldly beauty of the club's new and mysterious singer Angel (Paula Patton), forcing him to choose between her and his domineering father (Ben Vereen).
The filmmakers focus on the music as much as possible. Indeed most of the contrived plot makes little sense. Nor does the film make any attempt to examine how black culture existed and flourished in the Jim Crow South. This is a period piece with no period; all sense of history is banished.
The film is overloaded with cutesy gimmicks such as a flask that talks back to its owner, music sheets whose notes act as cartoon characters and a scene in which the mortician sings to an exquisite female corpse. Yes, he does.
The movie prides itself on a "retro-modern" look and sound. Its dances are a freestyle fusion of swing, hip-hop and break dance. The music jumps off from the R&B stylings of Cab Calloway and Bessie Smith to contemporary urban sounds. In other words, everything in the movie is subservient to the fact its soundtrack is an OutKast album.
At least Benjamin and Patton don't Take That approach as actors. They play genuine characters with shadings and nuances. The big news, performance-wise, is Paula Patton, reminding you somewhat of a young Whitney Houston, whose lovely voice is equaled by her beauty. Vereen is fine as the troubled father. Howard, of course, is smooth as silk as the sadistic villain. Making much too brief appearances are Macy Gray, Cicely Tyson and Patti LaBelle.
Barber oversees top-notch contributions from a behind-the-camera team that includes Pascal Rabaud's gymnastic camera work, Hinton Battle's eye-catching choreography, Shawn Barton's colorful costumes and Anne Goursaud's rhythmic editing.
IDLEWILD
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and HBO Films present a Mosaic Media Group/Forensic Films production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Bryan Barber
Producers: Charles Roven, Robert Guralnick
Executive producers: William Green, Robin O'Hara, Scott Macaulay
Director of photography: Pascal Rabaud
Production designer: Charles Breen
Music: John Debney
Costumes: Shawn Barton
Editor: Anne Goursaud
Cast:
Percival: Andre Benjamin
Rooster: Antwan A. Patton
Angel: Paula Patton
Trumpy: Terrence Howard
Ace: Faizon Love
Zora: Malinda Williams
Mother Hopkins: Cicely Tyson
Taffy: Macy Gray
Percy Senior: Ben Vereen
MPAA rating R
Running time -- 121 minutes...
- 8/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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