Customer Reviews

Idlewild (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Had this movie sustained the cinematic brilliance of its first few minutes, there is no question that it would have been something so out of the ordinary as to become an instant classic. As it is, it may have some cross-and-jostle work to establish itself as one of the Movies of the Year to see, but its flashes of original genius strung together with an operatic plot and dynamic cinematography, make a necklace of great flash and fire. Surely this one, with its embarrassment of talent, will be mentioned in several categories, not only music, at Oscar time. Worth seeing--- absolutely. I can hardly wait for the DVD, so that I can watch its excess to excess.

The film is going to have a generational promotional gap, not just the much-discussed racial one. It can't be dismissed as "the hip-hop Moulin Rouge", as I heard one member of our preview audience critique it coming out of the theater. If she were old enough, she would know that it's more akin to a "hip-hop Caberet", with Rooster (Antwan Andre "Big Boi" Patton of Outkast) as Sally Bowles. Plot and camera work similarities to Moulin Rouge do not necessarily a "Moulin Noir" make, but yes, the similarities are there.

Let's don't go there. Let's talk about what's blazingly new and fresh about this musical. For people who "hate musicals", this one (as Cabaret did) solves the problem of two people in face-to-face dialogue embarrassingly and improbably breaking into song. The musical numbers are the entertainment at "The Church", a speakeasy in the South during Prohibition Era. Entertainment which is akin to Moulin Rouge's flamboyance, combining a jazz age lindy-hop with hip hop is dazzlingly choreographed by Tony Award winner Hinton Battle. While Macy Gray is wonderful as a hard-edged club singer, it is Rooster's first musical number at the Church, fusing jazz, cabaret and hip-hop, which blows the lid off.

OutKast fans (I count myself one) have to wait for plot development for the introverted Percival, played by Andre Benjamin, to display his musical talent. We are told it is there from the beginning of the movie, but it is not until he breaks out of his shell to coax the beautiful singer Angel Davenport (Paula Patton) to live her dream that he overcomes his stage fright and showcases his music. And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the centerpiece musical sparkler of this necklace, an impossible fusion number which turns sensational when
performed with confidence and style. Oh, my! What talent will do with notes on a page!

"The Church", wryly named to showcase the corruption of bootleg liquor running, gambling and prostitution, is the hang-out for the dapper gangsta-land "Spats", Ving Rhames, who keeps the lid on violence in the "Showtime at the Apollo" club atmosphere and the dangerous business of squeezing both his booze supplier and the club owner, Sunshine Ace. We despise Ace more than anyone in the movie, until we get to know Trumpy (chillingly played by the gorgeous Terence Howard), who also comes out of his "shell" to reveal himself as a stupid and sadistic killer. The odd flatness of Howard's voice is powerfully used here to underscore his stupidity and the delight he has in killing people.

When greats like Ben Vereen and Cicely Tyson are little more than
cameos, you know you have talent to spare. My one concern is that the music style may be too much fusion to keep the hip-hop fans happy, and the movie may be too hip-hop to attract the general audience it deserves. The horrid truth is that I am a middle-aged white woman, one of the two demographic segments supposed to love musicals. But while my credibility is suspect, my general film-critiquing skills are generally pretty solid. Abandon your preconceptions and your prejudices, whatever they are, and Just Go See.

There's a funny thing about "Idlewild" that few movies can achieve: you know you've seen everything on screen here before, but the movie is filmed, and put together, with such gusto and energy that it's next to impossible not to like.
I would reiterate the plot for you, but I'm not exactly sure what it is. Rooster, played by Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, "inherits" a Depression-era speakeasy called Church and must deal with a ruthless gangster played by "Hustle and Flow" star Terrance Howard. Percivel, played by Andre "Andre 3000" Benjamin, is the son of a mortician who dreams of being a jazz composer who meets and falls for a mysterious woman who comes to sing in the speakeasy.
Or something like that.
"Idlewild" has it's share of problems, that's for sure. The movie is twenty minutes too long and occasionally, mostly during the films final half an hour, gets bogged down in cliches and predicatability. Any moviegoer who has seen there fair share of movies can figure out what's going to happen to him and when about twenty minutes into the picture.
But you know what? Forget all that. "Idlewild" is a movie to be watched, not thought about, and sometimes that's okay. And you get a lot of good stuff to look at. Bryan Barber, who also wrote the script and has directed many OutKast videos as well, has an excellent eye for popping visuals, and he brings them all out here. The musical numbers are excellent and have an energy that is lacking from most movies. And I can honestly say that I have never seen a movie before that blends the French classic "Amelie", the old 1940's Warner Brothers film noir and gangster pictures and hip-hop music into one film before. And even if it doesn't all blend together flawlessly, you'd have to have a grey heart not to at least respect that.
The acting is pretty top notch as well. In addition to the always great Cicley Tyson and Ben Verren, both of whom are underused sadly, the film features some nice supporting turns, most notably from Ving Rhames, still the coolest actor on the planet not to get enought quality work. Newcomer Paula Patton, no relation to Antwan, is excellent in the role of love interst to Andre, Big Boi and Andre both perform their roles well, Big Boi full of energy and swagger, Andre full some still motions as if he were sculpture coming to life. It's a performance that some have written off as dull, but is in fact more layered then it first appears.
Again "Idlewild" is flawed and isn't going to save the world or change your mind about anything. But I don't think it's trying to. Rather "Idlewild" just wants to entertain you for two hours and for the most part it does that in spades.
Well worth a rental.

I'm not much into the hip hop songs created by Andre 3000 & Big Boi, but I've seen this movie a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. The plot was a cliché, but the music and the acting were superb (the music was a few notches above the acting, but that's beside the point). Every song in this movie (except for one slow-moving one that's sung in the morticians' chamber) made me want to dance along (but I'm a bad dancer, so. . .). All the 30's dancing in this movie, especially during the end credits, were carefully & beautifully choreographed (mad props go to Hinton Battle). As for the acting, some performances were disappointing and 2-dimensional, like Paula Patton as Angel & Faizon Love as Ace, while others were brilliant and believable, like Terrence Howard as Trumpy and the incredible Ving Rhames as Spats.

In conclusion, I liked this movie. But I wouldn't recommend it to everybody. This is a movie not only for fans of Outkast, but also for fans of the old Speakeasy atmosphere.

"Idlewild", the new musical featuring Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton, both members of the musical group OutKast, is a mess. This is both a compliment and a criticism. The result is a wildly uneven film filled with bland performances and a very unique, interesting visual appeal.

Georgia. The Prohibition Era. Percival (Andre Benjamin, "Four Brothers") works at his father's (Ben Vereen) funeral home during the day, slowly taking over all responsibilities as his dad boozes the day away. At night, he sings at a local speakeasy called Church, which is run by Ace (Faizon Love). His lifelong friend, Rooster (Antwan Patton), also sings at the club, but runs his former mentor's (Ving Rhames) illegal activities during the day. Every night, his wife drops him off at the club complaining that he isn't spending enough time at home, with their five kids. One day, Trumpy (Terrence Howard), a local gangster who also runs booze, has a fight with Ace and before he knows it, Rooster is in charge of Church. Adding the stress of running the club isn't easy and Rooster doesn't like paying Trumpy's increased charges for booze. As Rooster looks for a new source of booze, Percival falls in love with Angel (Paula Patton), a beautiful new singer, who has dreams of going to Chicago to make it big.

"Idlewild", directed by Bryan Barber, probably would not have been made without the success of "Moulin Rouge" a few years ago. The two films share many characteristics. Like its predecessor, "Idlewild" exhibits a frantic sense of editing; the musical numbers more closely resemble music videos, with most cuts lasting just a few frames. This isn't surprising given the background of the director and his two stars. Both films also use contemporary music in a historical context providing each with an undeniable energy and appeal.

Barber is clearly more comfortable with the visual than the dramatic. From the moment the film begins, as we watch an old phonograph start playing a record, the director uses a blend of animation, live action, graphics and music to depict the fast moving story of the two friends during the Prohibition Era. As the record begins playing, the camera swoops up to a series of old photographs, slowing dissolving between them. But then, a figure in each begins to move a little, growing slightly, and these photos help to establish the setting and the tone of the story. As we flip through these photos, color begins to dissolve into an old photo and we watch as the film starts and the characters are introduced. Barber returns to this technique, in modified ways, throughout, providing a unique transitional device.

There is also the unusual addition of a talking flask. Rooster inherits the item from his mentor (Rhames) and frequently looks at it. As he looks at it, the rooster in the logo on the silver vessel comes to life, talking to him, providing a sort of Greek chorus. This idea doesn't really gel and seems to be a distraction.

The musical numbers have a unique energy, a lot of which comes from the fast-paced editing style. This technique adds interest to this portion of the film, but they also help to cover up any inconsistencies in the song or choreography. Strangely, Benjamin and Patton almost never sing together in the film and the songs suffer because of it. Early, Benjamin sings a song which we can barely hear over the din in the club. Later, Patton does a song, rapping through the lyrics as showgirls dance around him. This song is better, but the choreography seems a little stiff. But because of the editing, many of these flaws are covered up. We simply don't have time to concentrate on any one aspect for long. However, we can hear the song better and the two singers alone are not nearly as dynamic as they are when paired. Late in the film, Benjamin sings a song which is very reminiscent of Cab Calloway (one of Percival's idols) and seems clearly influenced by Busby Berkeley. Everyone is dressed in white, moving around white pianos in front of a shiny black backdrop. It is an interesting attempt to recreate the look and feel of a bygone era.

The filmmaker and stars deserve a lot of credit for not taking the easy route. Instead of telling a modern day story, they attempt a period piece and the attention to detail is impressive. Dialogue, production design and costumes all appear authentic and the only time the period is lost is during the songs. It had to be a difficult sell to get a studio to make this film. Imagine how much easier it would've been to make a modern day tale featuring the popular group's music. The studio probably would've preferred it, but by taking this more challenging approach, the film becomes more memorable. It still isn't perfect, but it is fun to watch.

Movies featuring singers are often problematic. They are trained for different things and are not always able to make the transition to the big screen. Of the two, Benjamin has an undeniable screen charisma. In his previous film, John Singleton's "Four Brothers", he worked with a seasoned director and turned in an interesting, believable debut performance. His work in "Idlewild" is good, but bland. He almost never changes his facial expression through good and bad. He clearly needs a more seasoned director to guide him to an interesting, believable performance. Patton is more effective trying to display varying emotions, but his delivery is as bland as Benjamin's performance. His voice never changes volume, so everything coming out of his mouth (including lyrics) becomes a monotone that fails to reach any highs or lows.

Terrence Howard turns in his least interesting work to date. It is odd to me that he would take such a small, supporting role, after his work in "Hustle and Flow" and "Crash". He is essentially playing the same character he played in "Four Brothers", but in a different era, and both characters are uninteresting and stereotypical. We have seen corrupt cops and gangsters before, so if an actor with the skill of Howard is going to take on such a role, he should bring something new to it. In "Idlewild", he seems to play a stock gangster. There is little, if anything, to make this character memorable.

The supporting cast is impressive, but many of these actors appear for brief glorified cameos. Ben Vereen, Cicely Tyson, Macy Gray, Ving Rhames, Patti LaBelle all pop up, but they are rarely given the chance to add anything to the film musically. What a disappointment.

Barber is clearly comfortable with the visual aspects of the filmmaking process. Hopefully, he will soon be able to match those talents with improved skills in storytelling. When this happens, we might have a filmmaker who creates some memorable escapes. Until that point, his efforts will be very hit and miss.

A musical set in the Prohibition-era American South, where a speakeasy performer and club manager Rooster must contend with gangsters who have their eyes on the club while his piano player and partner Percival must choose between his love, Angel or his obligations to his father. The movie telegraphs plot twists rather than foreshadowing them, there are flashes of brilliance. These are two astonishingly talented men (Andre and Big Boi) and simply as a showcase for that talent, this movie succeeds. If you just sit down and let the movie wash over you, you will enjoy.

When I saw this movie the first time, i gave it to my daughter. I watched it again a year later and liked it. The music was what did it in this movie for me. It definitely holds your attention is all I can say about it at this point.... and now I actually have another copy of it.

I saw Idlewild last night for the first time and all the advance buzz on this project, still does not do it justice. This is a top-notch production with dazzling performances, excellent production standards and very imaginative cinematography.

The production numbers are quite simply unstoppable and the blending of the music of the period with the sensibilities of today works beautifully. Obvious care was taken to recreate the look and feel of the period and some of the shots and film sequences, most notably a love scene and a death scene were simply mesmerizing.

I indeed admit that the script itself could have been more compelling but there is no denying the power of Andre Benjamin in this production. His performance is measured, believable, poised, and poignant. He has a more than promising future in films.

This is an excellent and a most worthy representation of another dimension/time in African-American culture and a MUST for your collection if you want quality productions of African-American life.

I highly recommend!

Sure, I will agree with previous reviews that the script is cliched, and that it could have been more. What the script lacks, the movie makes up for with incredible cinematography, good casting, and great sound editing.

Big Boi really shines in this one, and I always tended to favor Andre more. But scenes in this film, with Big Boi outrunning the gansters, and his smooth rap peppers the audio, to me is one of the finest moments in the film.

The love scene between Andre and Angel Davenport, when they meet each other in the rain, is beautifully shot.

The most compelling parts of the movie, as others have mentioned, are in the beginning, when the different musicians perform on stage @ the Church. Big Boi's rooster routine, with the camera flickering on the flawless crowd dancers, Macy Grays number, and Angie Davenport singing are the finest moments of the movie.

So if you can get past the part that this movie is a string of cliches, as SO MANY other movies are, you can see this as an historical tribute with some flawless editing, and some truly great moments in film.

Idlewild is truly a great musical film, either about music or featuring music, are not very common. HBO films deserves a lot of credit for making this one happen. Because this is not a typical film by any means. The written script was an amazing piece. This movie contains almost all genres of movies. It has the beautifying passion of Romance, the suspense of a drama, real good comedy, plus amazing music by Outkast. It will be outrageous for people to think that it is a bad movie.

The film is going to have a generational promotional gap, not just the much-discussed racial one. It can't be dismissed as "the hip-hop Moulin Rouge," it's more akin to a "hip-hop Caberet", with Rooster (Antwan Andre "Big Boi" Patton of Outkast) as Sally Bowles. Director Bryan Barber may have modeled some camera work on Baz Lurman's spinning kaleidoscopic style, but it is more likely that his music video background was a stronger influence. While there are some similar plot points, this is not really "Moulin Noir."

I wouldn't have wanted to see any other hip-hop artists or anyone else, for that matter making this movie. It wouldn't have worked. Outkast are so unique in their style and approach to music, and they took that same mindset to the big screen. Andre 3000 is no Luther Vandross, but he's just as great for being as good at what he does as well as the part he played in the film. Big Boi does a fine job as well. I kind of wonder if he was coaxed into the part by Dre, or if he did it on his own accord. Either way, I loved seeing the two of them on screen together. Big Boi shines, as does the rest of the cast.

They are able to synthesize a lot of sources and come up with very new and wonderful sounding pieces that are just plain fun to hear. There is also the excitement of seeing so many great black actors on screen. The film has the feel of an ensemble piece-these wonderful faces haunt the screen with a warmth that is irresistible. It is pretty amazing that America's black actors are able to achieve real energy and passion in film after film. When greats like Ben Vereen and Cicely Tyson are little more than cameos, you know you have talent to spare. My one concern is that the music style may be too much fusion to keep the hip-hop fans happy, and the movie may be too hip-hop to attract the general audience it deserves. It is a tribute to craft and their perseverance. But the bottom line is this is a soulful movie.

The film is not real, not a documentary of the times, and outside of any type of accurate historical context. But film art must grow and evolve for the medium to have any relevance at all. This movie places events, sounds and sights in the dimension of the here and now. And as such, it is a brave, powerful and loving fantasy. I thought the movie was great for what it was: a film made by Outkast. If you watch the movie with that mindset, and you feel like you really *get* the bizarre humor from their lyrics and skits, then you'll love the movie.

"Idlewild" is a very creative musical movie, cleverly balancing the look of a straight-laced period piece with the style and fierceness of a present day crowd pleaser. While the story is based in 1935--specifically in a rural Georgia town called Idlewild--the freewheeling visuals, imaginative dialogue, and modern music (courtesy of Outkast) make it difficult to get completely absorbed in pure nostalgia. This is despite the bold costume and set designs, both of which are more or less authentic to the time period. But from the audience's perspective, that doesn't matter; it was a fun and fascinating reinterpretation, the likes of which haven't been seen since Baz Luhrman's "Moulin Rouge."

Truth be told, both films are similar in several ways, aside from their playful manipulations of era and music. For one, each film includes a love story, one that meets several obstacles along the way. Also, the heroes of both stories are young artists trying to find their way in the world. Most importantly, both use the genres of comedy and tragedy to convey a relatively simple message. To some, these conventional storytelling methods may hurt "Idlewild" more than they help. The plot is incredibly predictable, having been used many more times that anyone would care to count. However, the film's look and music are quite original, and it makes for a film that's so interesting to watch, the formulaic plot can easily be overlooked. It has a special kind of quality to it, the kind that can suck you in and leave you eager to see how everything unfolds.

The film is narrated by Percival Jenkins (Andre Benjamin), a young man with aspirations of becoming a songwriter. By day, he lives a humdrum life as an assistant mortician for his father's funeral home. By night, he plays gigs at a nightclub called Church, a swinging joint overflowing with bootlegged alcohol and scantily clad showgirls. While Percival pounds away on the piano, his lifelong friend, Rooster (Antwan A. Patton, also known as Big Boi), performs rap solos to a roomful of dancing customers. Almost every musical number located within Church is a highly choreographed, frenetic showstopper, each cut lightening quick, each shot loose and untamed. When combined with a hip-hop soundtrack, they make for some rather unique sequences that I couldn't take my eyes off of.

At times it gets a little too distracting, which is problematic considering there's so much more to the story. There are actually two distinct storylines, both of which are simple enough to allow for minimal confusion. The first story specifically relates to Percival. He meets Angel Davenport (Paula Patton), a seductive singer from St. Louis who hopes to kick-start her career in Idlewild before moving to Chicago. As the film progresses, she simultaneously tries to win the affections of both the Church staff and Percival, the latter of which is proving much easier to accomplish. There's no doubt he finds her beautiful, but more importantly, he seems genuinely interested in helping her become successful. What he has yet to realize is just how insecure she is with herself and how much help she needs in finding the courage to follow her dream.

Unfortunately, this interaction is only worsening the conflict between him and his father, Percival, Sr. (Ben Vereen). He's an extremely distant man who has yet to accept the death of his wife. Because of that, he barely speaks to his son, save some moments of work-related dialogue (most of which involve scolding over improper behavior). What's worse is that he sees Angel as nothing more than a floozy who'll leave his son the first chance she gets. All this gives Percival, Jr. quite a bit to think about: does he want to spend the rest of his life as a mortician, or does he want to have a future with Angel in Chicago? He's known since he was a child that his true love was music; early on in the film, we see him as a child practicing the piano (initially forced on him by his strict aunt). When he looks at a sheet of music, he sees it very differently than the way other musicians do: to him, the notes are living cartoon characters wreaking havoc on the page. It may be a bizarre method of visualization, but it enables him to play with greater passion than just studying the melody.

The other side of the story specifically relates to Rooster. From a very early age, he had a natural propensity towards number crunching, and it enabled him to make some shrewd "business" deals as he grew. Now as an adult, he's the womanizing main attraction of Church. He's also very close with a crime boss known only as Spats (Ving Rhames), the man responsible for supplying the club with booze. At one point, Spats proposes a business deal that doesn't sit well with his right hand man, Trumpy (Terrence Howard). Rather than lose the chance at greedily snatching up extra money, the power-hungry Trumpy takes matters into his own hands.

It's an act that turns Rooster's world upside down, forcing him to become the new manager of Church (all he can rely on for words of wisdom is a flask with a talking rooster emblem). It's a tense situation, especially since a lot of illicit debts need to be repaid. At this point in the film, Trumpy goes from a quiet skeptic to an immature bully, an expected personality shift in stories with villains. His new position becomes a means of intimidation over Rooster, who tries to reason that debt can only be paid so quickly. But as Trumpy is quick to point out, "When you inherit a club, you inherit the debt."

How fortuitous that should be said, especially since Rooster's business troubles are second only to the strained relationship with his wife, Zora (Malinda Williams), and his children. When it comes to them, he's emotionally in debt, and what he owes Zora is much more valuable than the money he owes Trumpy. She tries her hardest to look past her husband's faults, but as he spends more and more time in Church, it becomes less and less possible for her to do so. Ultimately, Rooster must decide if he wants a life of wealth or a life of happiness (in this case, they're not one and the same; the proof is in an especially touching scene featuring an impoverished family living in their car).

As you might expect, the two separate narratives come together during the final scenes. The ultimate outcome is more than a little cliche, as are a lot of the other structural elements of the film. But oddly enough, it didn't bother me that much; if anything, the fact that the film was so highly stylized allowed me to view it less critically. It's modern hip-hop soundtrack and elaborate digital effects were too unique to allow me to dismiss this film. Despite a worn story, it's not a rehash; it's a fun, entertaining musical, filled with convincing drama, tense conflict, and some decent humorous moments. For good measure, the filmmakers even included a couple of memorable cameos, including Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray, and Cicely Tyson. What a fitting way to cap off "Idlewild"; it's a truly imaginative film that captures the spirit of classic musicals while being fresh enough for today's audiences.