Cadillac Records: Movie Review (2009)

The new Darnell Martin movie, “Cadillac Records,” is like any hot mess--sometimes, it’s a lot of fun to have around, other times, you wish you could take it down a notch or, in lieu of that, just step away from it altogether. Far away from it. As in the next state away from it.

Thing is, the music makes that difficult to do.

From the director’s own script, the film is a mash-up of the good, the great, and the risible. Its strength rests in the staging of the musical performances, which are as good as you could hope. Unfortunately, nothing in the otherwise sloppy, over-heated storyline measures up to them, which is a shame given the source material--the rise of Chess Records during the 1950s and ‘60s.

Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) began that company, which was responsible for finding such R&B powerhouses as Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Little Walter (Columbus Short) and Etta James (Beyonce Knowles), every one of whom eventually landed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Chess’ catch was this: If you did well with him, he’d promise to give you the keys to a new Cadillac. And he delivered on those shiny promises, too, particularly every time one of his artists had a hit, which was often.

The question the movie doesn’t fully answer is critical to why it’s ultimately a disappointment. Who was Chess? What’s Martin’s angle on him? Was the man generous with his artists, or did he cheat them out of a fair share of what they were earning for him? Martin suggests the latter, but his movie, which is no “Dreamgirls,” is so conflicted about how it views Chess, the edges are fuzzy and, as such, his character doesn't come into focus.

Neither does anyone else here. This is a movie of sketches, with people passing by the screen and leaving only a traces of their stories behind. We get a whiff of who Muddy Waters was, but only just. There's a side story involving Berry that could have been promising, but Martin drops it. As for Knowles, her performance as James offers the most lasting impression. She produced the film, and what she created for herself is a role that allowed for one motherlode of drama. Watching her, you’d think she was Effie White--and coming off Jennifer Hudson’s Academy Award-winning performance in that role, don’t think for a minute that was a coincidence on Knowles’ part.

With her hair a towering hive of bleached-blonde audacity, Knowles sweeps into rooms with hips that could crush mountains and a mouth that could set fire to a red light district. She overdoses on drugs and collapses on carpets. She hits the booze hard, fuels her diva tantrums with bile and fury, and yet when she sings, you forgive her for everything. She’s that good at the mike, powerfully drawing you into a film whose story isn’t as compelling or as convincing.

Grade: C

View the trailer here: