Idlewild

source: Idlewild

This film is simply outrageously bad. It's major failing point; it knows not what it is. Is it a syrupy gangster movie or a modern day musical experiment in the vein of Moulin Rouge? Songs are thrown in rather haphazardly, and only once does a song advance the plot at all. In the meantime, the story drags and is essentially tired and uninteresting. The acting is not over the top, but it's not subtle either, but just bad. Like watching a high school production but without any of the fun of knowing the people on the stage. On the musical side of things, despite the musical group Outkast in charge of the music, the duo never did perform a song together. Perhaps this is the major failing of the story. It lacked intricacy. The love story was simple, the bootlegging problems were simple, the dynamics between characters was like watching a bunch of strangers thrown together for the first time. Everything going on was pretty obvious to the viewer, but then the movie had to explain it extremely slowly. I really can't think of a single thing I enjoyed about this movie. I wish the duo would try again sometime. I think someone had a good idea, but most ideas need to be developed.

It's difficult to give a clear judgement on this film. There are some things that are almost brilliant about it, while other things were absolutely terrible. This is often the side effect of a writer/director who can either write and can't direct, or direct and not write. The latter is the case for this film. Bryan Barber is a name to watch ... as a director. He may be one of the few video director who has come on the scene and proved that he can be a very good, and even outstanding director for films. As a director he was very creative and smart (forgiving the few shots that were "borrowed" directly from other directors), and he made a lot of choices that really work well. As a writer, the story was simple and underdeveloped. The characters were one dimensional and bland. The action lacked any sort of motivation at all. In fact, it was only the fact that the members of Outkast have presence on the screen that gave me any reason to care about anything going on in the "story". I am a writer, and I have friends who are screenwriters. Normally, I won't give a film with a story this weak much of a grade at all. Story is everything. But Barber did such a good job as a first time director, that he actually made his poor script watchable. He's lucky that it was a musical because that gave him enough elements to work with outside of the dismal/cliché dialogue. If anyone who knows Barber is reading this, tell him to find a good script. There are people out there with good material just waiting to screw it up by directing it themselves. Maybe they can save each other. With a good script, Barber could be one of the best young directors out there. I can't wait to see!

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. Director Bryan Barber may have modelled 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"-- but kudos to the cleverness of that shorthand review. 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 does have Moulin Rouge's flamboyance, combining a jazz age lindy-hop with hip hop, is dazzlingly choreographed by Tony Award winner Hinton Battle. While Macy Grey 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.

Some of you may not remember the film from the 1980's Cotton Club, and others may agree with the critics and disliked it. I loved it and feel that Idlewild was a rather an updated Cotton Club. I can never understand Hollywood's awards system. Therefore I feel I may be disappointed in this film being over looked. But this film better at least win awards for Cinematography. It was so innovative! The speaking "Rooster" flask, and sheet music all working as plot parts of the film. The use of size modulation and time movement as accents were outstanding. Music and dancing were just fabulous! The blend that the choreographers used of modern Hip Hop, swing, Jitterbug, and Ballroom Jive, just made you want to get up and dance too. The story line true to life as well. Overall just a great film. Loved it.

"Idlewild" is almost unbearable to watch. It's "The Color Purple" crossed with "Moulin Rouge" crossed with "Hoodlum" crossed with "Six Feet Under." In short, it's two hours too long and makes a mockery of the four previously mentioned works. Quite attractive is the prospect of a film with an all black cast. "Idlewild" could have been a welcome addition to the short catalogue of contemporary Blaxploitation films but this movie was less "Blax" and more "Blaggh!" Stereotypes are thick throughout, which is not always a problem except that, in "Idlewild," they serve no purpose—didactic, comedic or otherwise. Indeed it seems as if director Bryan Barber half believes the crude and bizarre temperaments of his main characters. Do any of these people have genuine depth? Efforts to give them any turned out shallow. Andre 3000 plays a lonely piano player in 1930s Georgia who stumbles upon the love of his life in the shape of Paula Patton (fellow band-mate Big Boi's wife). He then hangdogs his way through the rest of the movie, while Patton does her best Shug Avery—very very badly. Big Boi (Antwan Patton) can't do much better either but not because he lacks talent. As Rooster, the popular juke joint performer, he infuses the dance numbers with his own trademark laid-back charm, but the most his character is allowed to do offstage is drink and fire a gun. How's that for a stereotype? Terrence Howard is also weighed down by the same old bad-guy act that strangled his creativity and hid his range for years. At some point, his character's brutality becomes ridiculously gratuitous. In fact, gratuitousness could be the main theme in "Idlewild" or is it morbidity? All I know is that the next time I want to see someone serenading a corpse is never. Copyright (c) 2006 by Lauren Simpson

What I don't understand is how anyone could give this movie a thumbs up! Most of the comments I have read here praise this movie for being innovative and entertaining. After 1/2 hr. my friends and I left. The movie is violent, disrespectful of women, not to mention the relationships between men and women, and the language is disgusting. From the reviews, I actually thought I was going to see something new, instead it's the same old story. Some musical!!! Who calls that music? Who calls that dancing? Great musicals are Porgy and Bess, Le Miz,Phampton,Chicago,My Fair Lady, King and I etc. No, Rent was terrible, left that one too. 10 years to make? Yeah, 1 yr. to come up with the idea and 9yrs. to fund it. Sad. Sharon

Before I say anything I would like to point out that I am a huge Outkast fan and expected nothing less from spectacular from this film. The duo is probably the most eccentric and likable persona's in hip hop today. Sure on paper the idea of a 1930's hip hop/blue/jazz scene may seem silly, but you'd have to see it to believe it. "Idlewild" is about two friends Percival (Andre 3000) and Rooster (Big Boi) that grow up in different lifestyles but have the same dream, that dream is make it out of Idlewild and into show business. However both are stalled by family life and trouble with Trumpy (Terrence Howard). Percival meets a woman that goes by the name Angel Davenport (the stunning Paula Patton) and with her he plans to be loosened from his father's (Ben Vereen) grip. The film serves as one big musical containing new original music and some songs from their 2003 diamond selling CD "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below", and is the directorial film debut of their long-time music video collaborator Byran Barber. Barber does one hell of a job and makes the film so visually pleasing. Every cut and angle put you right in the middle of the frenzied action going on in "The Church". Also some familiar faces such as Cicely Tyson, Ving Rhames, comedian Bruce Bruce and Ms. Patti LaBelle pop up from time to time. The boys from ATL do it again, but this time it's a visually entertaining film with catchy grooves that'll have you humming the songs on your way home from the theater. Idlewild - *** out of ****

Not a bad movie, though poorly edited especially towards the end. The car chase scene especially could have been classic if not for the choppy editing. Nor can it decide what it wants to be: a music video, a gangster movie, a drama, a musical - it's a little of everything without being anything. But the "Ode to a Corpse" musical number will go down in history as one of the unintentionally creepiest moments in movie history. If this were Rocky Horror Picture Show it would have been laughable, but the uncomfortable silence in the theater during this scene was deafening.

We think this movie was just great fun. It is a bit chopped up, but that's a minor problem. Choreography is tight and excellent; music is deleriously hip. Casting and acting was a big plus - stellar performances all around. Cecily Tyson is such a master - adds richness to even the smallest role. Don't agree that we'll see award nominations here though. Directing could have been much much better. The Director failed this exceptional cast - but we're happy that the film was made. We felt like the screenplay could have been written for this cast, and the juxtaposition of rap music over 1930's rhythm worked in a crisp and welcome way. We never tire of those old cars, clothes and styles, but we're grateful for all of this "new" talent and exceptional music. WELL worth the time!