Cadillac Records Release
Date: December 5, 2008 Studio: TriStar Pictures (Sony) Director: Darnell Martin Screenwriter: Darnell Martin Starring: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonce Knowles, Gabrielle Union,
Columbus Short, Cedric the Entertainer, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Eamonn Walker, Mos
Def Genre: Drama MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive language and some sexuality) Official Website:
CadillacRecordsmovie.com
Plot Summary: "Cadillac Records" chronicles the rise of Chess Records and
its recording artists. In this tale of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in
Chicago of the 1950s and 60s, the film follows the exciting but turbulent lives
of some of America's greatest musical legends.
The story of how the blues became popular and gave birth to rock and roll begins
at a dingy bar on the rough South Side of Chicago in 1947, where an ambitious
young Polish émigré, bar owner Leonard Chess (Academy Award-winner Adrien
Brody), hires a talented but undisciplined blues combo that includes quiet and
thoughtful guitar prodigy Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) and impulsive and
colorful harmonica player Little Walter (Columbus Short). Fascinated by the
sound of the music – and eager to cash in on the record burgeoning record
business – Chess arranges a recording session for Waters. Waters' early
recordings start moving up the R+B charts and receiving heavy play.
Chess treats his musicians like family – he buys them a Cadillac when they
record their first hit record – although the line between business and personal
sometimes causes conflict with his increasingly talented and successful stable
of artists. After backing up Muddy on his early recordings, Little Walter
becomes a star in his own right, but his quick temper and loud manner often run
him afoul of friends and the law. He also finds that the only woman he can talk
to is Muddy's girl, Geneva (Gabrielle Union), who struggles to remain loyal
despite Muddy's poorly concealed affairs. Big Willie Dixon (Cedric the
Entertainer), a songwriter and bandleader, also is a key member of the Chess
Records family, as is Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), an intense and proud blues
singer who develops a musical rivalry with Muddy.
But it's not until 1955 when a Chess artist finally "crosses over" into the
realm of mainstream ("white") America – a skinny guy from St. Louis named Chuck
Berry (Mos Def), whose dynamic "duck walk" and catchy, country-tinged tunes mark
the birth of rock-and-roll. When Berry is arrested and jailed at the height of
his career, Chess finds another talented performer to cross over – singer Etta
James (Beyoncé Knowles), an emotionally scarred young woman whose vulnerability
tempts Chess' loyalty and concern in unexpected ways.
As rock-and-roll grows more popular, the Chess artists find themselves revered
by a new generation of musicians, but they have also each earned and lost a
small fortune on booze, women and the high life, and their addictions begin to
take their toll. Even as tragedy befalls, their music and their spirit remain
strong: as the sixties wind down and Leonard Chess gets out of the record
business, the blues live on
EN 5 Second Review:
The drama isn't that great, but the music absolutely
soars.
Go
For The Music Robert Butler: KC Star
Chess electrified the blues, Chuck Berry electrified white
audiences and after seeing this film you’re going to want to find a
compilation of Chess hits, settle in with a longneck and groove to some
of the best American music ever made...more
Ultimately,
these aren't people we're learning about, they're burnished
icons Elizabeth Weitzman: NY Daily News
You see all the major landmarks, but how enlightening can a
road trip be if you never even get off the highway...more
EN 5 Second Review:
The drama isn't that great, but the music absolutely
soars.
Ultimately,
these aren't people we're learning about, they're burnished
icons