Corny and Clichéd

Rating: 1/10 (27 January 2007)

This movie could have been OK if it was only trying to be a lighthearted look at the urban music scene from the '50s through the '70s. The problem is, it takes itself way too seriously and therefore earns its "Awful" rating.
And when did it decide to become a musical? The first part of the film was a normal drama with song performances. All of a sudden (45 minutes into the movie!) the actors begin singing rather than speaking their dialogue. Not that the film then became a musical from that point on. They keep you guessing through the remainder of the film as to when they will speak their dialogue or when they'll break into song. It was truly laughable.
The story was corny and the plot twists clichéd. And the performances couldn't help but be pitiful, given the material these folks were working with. How Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson gained award nominations out of their performances is beyond me. Maybe in an MTV or Teen Award context; but seriously, as acting performances, in the same league as bona fide dramatic actors? Although I will admit, Eddie Murphy did a pretty good Richard Rowntree impersonation at one point (porn star mustache and red track suit) and Jennifer Hudson was a good Winnie Mandela (short afro and African-style muumuu). I'm being silly here, only because this movie deserves all the heckling it gets. What it doesn't deserve is to be taken seriously.