Mini-Review: Cadillac Records

Cadillac Records
Directed by Darnell Martin
Released December 5, 2008

“Cadillac Records” tells the story of a recording studio and the artists who came through it and then made it big and became famous. It’s a movie full of good music and interesting characters, but the pieces don’t translate to a coherent whole. By choosing to highlight the studio, the film fails to choose one figure to center itself on, and hopping from one singer to another and then back again is a jolting, unpleasant, and unsatisfactory experience. Adrien Brody stars as Leonard Chess, the self-absorbed club owner who founded Chess Records. His performance is akin to the one given by Jamie Foxx in “Dreamgirls” – completely irrelevant and not merit-worthy. Jeffrey Wright, who’s a true actor’s actor who has yet to get that big movie role, boroughs deep into the character of Muddy Waters, but the part just isn’t written that well. Beyoncé Knowles delivers a performance just like Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls,” where the singing is predictably good and the acting just isn’t quite there. Small roles from Mos Def as Chuck Berry and Eamonn Walker as Howlin’ Wolf are highlights of an otherwise unremarkable production. It’s a movie about music, but it simply can’t compare to other films that came before it. Nothing stands out and as a result the story it tells has a diminished impact.

C-