Product: Cadillac Records [Blu-ray] (2008)
Rating: 2.0
Cliches Overwhelm Story
The people behind "Cadillac Records" had a great idea - a film about the founding and growth of Chess records is fertile ground indeed. The home of some of the greatest music ever made, most of which was made at a fascinating time in American history by a series of African-American musicians who had escaped the South while working for the son of Polish Jews....There's a lot of material here. Unfortunately, the film tries to jam all of it in. The first half of the movie is carried along by the music (some of which is horribly lip synched by the way), but when the tone of "Cadillac Records" changes, the melodrama piles up in a way that is utterly unconvincing.It would have been far better for the film makers to focus on one of Chess' stars and their relationship with BOTH Chess brothers. Instead, we get a series of cliched and entirely predictable scenes involving historical figures. Look - there's Muddy Waters giving Little Walter his first taste of whiskey (shades of "The Dewey Cox Story"). Look, there's Howlin' Wolf in his battered pick up truck. Oh dear, Chuck Berry's music just integrated a concert by getting those white and black kids to dance together.And don't even get me started on the overwrought scenes with Beyonce as Etta James.By trying to cram everything in the movie, the film makers drained all of the emotion from the story. By the time Little Walter dies in Muddy Waters' wife's arms, I was tempted to turn away. But the music was so good, I figured I'd stick it out to the end of the movie.Sadly, "Cadillac Records" piles up so many cliches that it ultimately becomes meaningless.