# Cadillac Records

Cadillac Records is a 2008 American biographical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and a few of the musicians who recorded for Chess Records.
The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, and Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James. The film was released in North America on December 5, 2008, by TriStar Pictures. The soundtrack was released on Music World/Columbia and Sony Music.

## Plot

In 1947 in Chicago, a Jewish immigrant from Poland and bar owner Leonard Chess hires a blues combo, including guitarist Muddy Waters and harmonica player Little Walter. Waters' and Walter's success leads to Chess opening the doors for black musicians and beginning a new record label in 1950 – Chess Records. This attracts stars like Etta James, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry. Inevitably, business and personal lines blur as the sometimes-turbulent lives of the musicians play out.

## Cast

* Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess
* Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James
* Jeffrey Wright as McKinley Morganfield/Muddy Waters
* Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon
* Gabrielle Union as Geneva Wade
* Columbus Short as Walter Jacobs/Little Walter
* Emmanuelle Chriqui as Revetta Chess
* Eamonn Walker as Chester Burnett/Howlin' Wolf
* Yasiin Bey as Chuck Berry
* Shiloh Fernandez as Phil Chess
* Jay O. Sanders as Mr. Feder
* Eric Bogosian as Alan Freed
* Kevin Mambo as Jimmy Rogers
* Marc Bonan as Keith Richards
* Tammy Blanchard as Isabelle Allen
* Q-Tip as hip hop artist
* Norman Reedus as Chess record engineer
* Vincent D'Onofrio as Mississippi DJ (uncredited)
* Elvis Presley as himself (archive footage; uncredited)

## Background

Leonard Chess was the co-founder of the 1950s American record label Chess Records, located in Chicago, Illinois. He ran the legendary company with his brother, Phil, through the 1950s and '60s. The label started selling records from the back of Chess' Cadillac, and launched the careers of legendary musical personalities such as blues singers and harmonica and guitar players Little Walter and Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, soul legend Etta James and guitarist singer-songwriters Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon.

## Production

The screenplay was written by director Darnell Martin. The filming of Cadillac Records started in February 2008. Filming locations included Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey. Martin directed the film, financed by Sony BMG Film. Cadillac Records was produced by Andrew Lack and Sofia Sondervan, and co-executive produced by Beyoncé.

### Casting

Originally, Matt Dillon was slated to play the role of Chess, but the role was ultimately given to Adrien Brody due to scheduling conflicts with Dillon. Early announcements of the cast also included Columbus Short as Little Walter, Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, and multi-Grammy Award winner Beyoncé as Etta James. According to director Martin, the role of James was written with Beyoncé in mind.
As production increased, the roster grew to include Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui as Revetta Chess, Tammy Blanchard as Isabelle Allen, English actor Eamonn Walker as Howlin' Wolf, and comedian Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon. Final line ups of the cast also grew to include rapper Yasiin Bey as Chuck Berry, and Gabrielle Union in the role of Geneva Wade, Muddy Waters' common law wife.

### Music

The American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer Steve Jordan produced the soundtrack to the film. He also picked a group of blues musicians, including Billy Flynn (guitar), Larry Taylor (bass), Eddie Taylor Jr. (guitar), Barrelhouse Chuck (piano), Kim Wilson (harmonica), Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Hubert Sumlin (guitar), and Bill Sims (guitar) who, along with Jordan on drums, recorded all of the blues songs used in the film.
Beyoncé recorded five songs for the soundtrack, including a cover version of Etta James' "At Last" which was released on December 2, 2008 as its lead single. Mos Def, Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, and Eamonn Walker recorded songs for the soundtrack, and Raphael Saadiq, Beyoncé's sister Solange, Mary Mary, Nas, Buddy Guy, and Elvis Presley also appear on the album. The soundtrack was released in single and double-disc editions.
The month after the film was released, Beyoncé performed "At Last" at the inauguration ball of Barack Obama, as he and wife Michelle danced together for the first time as President and First Lady.
The soundtrack spent 48 weeks at number one of the Top Blues Albums.
The soundtrack was nominated for three 2010 Grammy Awards in the following categories: Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, Beyoncé's "Once in a Lifetime" for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and Beyoncé's "At Last" for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.

## Release and reception

The film had its world premiere on November 24, 2008, at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. On December 5, 2008, it entered general release in the United States. On its opening weekend, the film opened at Number 9, grossing $3.4 million in 686 cinemas with an $5,023 average. When the film left cinemas in January 2009, it had yet to recoup its $12 million budget; it ended its run with a worldwide box office gross of $8,880,045.

### Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes reports that 66% of 124 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "What Cadillac Records may lack in originality, it more than makes up for in strong performances and soul-stirring music." Another review aggregator, Metacritic, gave the film a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film three stars and stated in his review that "The film is a fascinating record of the evolution of a black musical style, and the tangled motives of the white men who had an instinct for it." Elizabeth Weitzman of the Daily News awarded the film three stars and wrote in her review, "Writer-director Darnell Martin clearly respects the fact that the history of Chess Records is a worthy subject." Most critics praised the film for its music, but complained about its script. Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News praised Beyoncé's vocal performance and wrote in his review that, "Beyoncé Knowles' captivating voice and the film's other pluses can't outweigh the glaring omissions from the story line for this critic" and "Chess Records deserves, and will hopefully someday get, a better spin than the one delivered by Cadillac Records."

### Recognition and accolades

David Edelstein of New York magazine named it the 4th best film of 2008, Stephanie Zacharek of Salon named it the 4th best film of 2008, and A. O. Scott of The New York Times named it the 10th best film of 2008. During the 2009 award season, Beyoncé received a Satellite Award nomination for her portrayal of Etta James. Beyoncé, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street received a Golden Globe nomination, Best Original Song, for writing "Once in a Lifetime"; a song Beyoncé recorded for the film's soundtrack.
The film also garnered seven NAACP Image Award nominations, which included Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Jeffrey Wright), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Cedric the Entertainer, Columbus Short and Yasiin Bey), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Beyoncé).

### Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 10, 2009, and sold over 130,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has made an estimate of $11,916,737 in sales, which coupled with its box office gross helped the film pay back its $12 million budget (total gross: $20,796,782).

## Awards and nominations

| Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result |
| African-American Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Jeffrey Wright | Won |
| Black Reel Award | Best Film | Best Film | Won |
| Black Reel Award | Best Ensemble | Best Ensemble | Won |
| Black Reel Award | Best Director | Darnell Martin | Nominated |
| Black Reel Award | Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original | Darnell Martin | Nominated |
| Black Reel Award | Best Supporting Actor | Jeffrey Wright | Won |
| Black Reel Award | Best Supporting Actor | Eamonn Walker | Nominated |
| Black Reel Award | Best Supporting Actor | Yasiin Bey | Nominated |
| Black Reel Award | Best Breakthrough Performance | Columbus Short | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Award | Best Original Song | "Once In a Lifetime" | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | "Once In a Lifetime" | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | "At Last" | Won |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Motion Picture | Outstanding Motion Picture | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Jeffrey Wright | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Beyoncé | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Cedric the Entertainer | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Columbus Short | Won |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Mos Def | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Television or Film) | Darnell Martin | Nominated |
| Satellite Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Beyoncé | Nominated |