Product: Cadillac Records [Blu-ray] (2008)
Rating: 4.0
Pretty Decent Musical Biopic
After hearing so many bad things, about Cadillac Records I had my initial reservations about seeing the film. However being that I'm a fan of director Darnell Martin's earlier films (I Like It Like That & the vastly misunderstood Prison Song) I decided to give the film a chance. The film tells the story of Chess Records & its founder Leonard Chess (Adrian Brody). Some of the early acts on the label included Muddy Waters (the always excellent Jeffery Wright), Lil Walter (an amazing Columbus Short) and later acts Chuck Berry (Mos Def) and Etta James (Beyonce). Brody has a hard time carrying a film of this caliber by himself as Chess really isn't given much to do, other than give Cadillac's to his artists. The heart of the film lies in Wright's & Short's performances. The "father & son" relationship displayed between Muddy & Lil Water was endearing to watch and Short continues to command the screen with this performance. Some of the female cast such as Gabrielle Union & Emuallanle Chrquri are wasted as long suffering housewives, and as for Beyonce, with the material she's given she does a decent job as Etta James. All in all, Cadillac Records may not resonate with classic musical biopics such as Ray & The Temptations, but it's still an enjoyable way to waste a few hours.