As Summer’s season of movie escapism draws to a close, the Fall and Winter awards season gets a bit of an early start as a new film in one of Oscar’s favorite genre “hybrids” is released. On Friday we get a new entry in the “musical biography” line of award ‘”showcases”. Yes, playing a popular singer/performer has proven to be quite a “gold gatherer” for many actors and actresses. Most recently Rami Malek took the big trophy for “channeling” Freddie Mercury in 2018’s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and the following year it was Renee Zellweger in the title role of JUDY, as in Ms. Garland. Of course, the years have seen several tune-filled biopics take home the “gold’ from James Cagney’s George M. Cohen, that YANKEE DOODLE DANDY to Jamie Foxx as RAY Charles. So will the Academy face, and embrace, the music as the story of the “Queen of Soul”, Miss Aretha Franklin, is dramatized in RESPECT?
The film of her story begins fairly early. We’re introduced to little “Ree-Ree” (Skye Dakota Turner) at around age five, as her father, Baptist minister C.L. Franklin (Forrest Whitaker” wakes her from bedtime to sing for the adults at an “after church” boozy social.. Of course, she wows the crowd there as she does in front of Daddy’s congregation. But things aren’t harmonious at home as Ree-Ree happily spends weekends away with her mom, Barbara (Audra McDonald), the ex Mrs. Franklin. When tragedy strikes, the tot’s spirit is almost crushed until music rescues her. As a teen, Aretha (Jennifer Hudson) continues to sing at Daddy’s church, but he has bigger plans for her (aside from helping raise funds for her pal MLK). The two travel to New York, where he negotiates a contract with John Hammond (Tate Donovan) at Columbia records. While Aretha struggles to find her voice (Hammond assigns her pop standards and remakes of other singers’ hits), she reconnects with a suave “bad boy” from Detroit, Ted White (Marlon Wayans) who offers to be her new manager. This angers Daddy, but she takes a chance on Ted when Columbia drops her. Luckily he gets her a deal with Jerry Wexler (Marc Maron) at Atlantic Records, who gives her full creative control, though he suggests she travel to Alabama to record a new jazz/blues tune with the talented studio musicians at Muscle Shoals. The collaboration on “I Never Loved a Man” clicks, though Ted’s ego and fiery temper erupt, as he begins abusing his star (and now wife and mother of his son). Thus begins a tumultuous trek to super-stardom as Aretha tries to free herself from the emotional tug-of-war between Ted and the reverend while attempting to drown her inner darkness with booze and live concerts. Will her musical talents grant her peace and serenity?
As you’ve probably guessed from the marketing barrage, this biopic is meant as a showcase for its star, Hudson, in the hopes that it will rocket her back onto the movie “A-list”. It seems that, after winning a much-deserved Oscar in 2009 for DREAMGIRLS, Hollywood has had problems finding the perfect film “fit” for her. Well, after several small roles in some “indies”, and a stint in Broadway’s revival of the musical “The Color Purple”, Hudson has honed her acting skills and commands the screen as she recreates Franklin’s dynamic stage presence. Off-stage, things don’t go quite as smooth or as silky as her rich singing voice. The Franklin character seems to bounce from buoyant to broken with little reason. Hudson handles the big emotions well, but is often overshadowed by the men vying to control “the Queen”. That’s certainly true of the confrontations with the Reverend, played with intensity and passion by Whitaker, who can fill up several big tents with his “semonizin'”. Then there’s her “arch-enemy”, Ted who has a smooth, devilish charm thanks to the surprising Wayans (who was a delight in the recent ON THE ROCKS). We see him as a master of seduction, denying his gifts to Aretha to keep him on her mind. These early bits of affection make his dive into the “dark side” especially disturbing, as Ted displays his violent hair-trigger temper, that kicks in despite his wife’s “tiptoeing on eggshells” around him. Ah, but there is one “good guy’ in this story. That’s Maron as Wexler, whose endearing blunt proclamations jolt life in the often turgid tale. Who wouldn’t want a fellow like that in your corner to cut through the BS? Some of the even smaller roles stand out. McDonald brings warmth and dignity to Ree-Ree’s adored mama. Titus Burgess also scores as the sympathetic and straightforward James Cleveland. And though she’s only got a couple of scenes, Mary J, Blige is in full diva mode as the haughty Dinah Washington who steers Franklin to greatness.
Introducing a new generation to the wonders of Ms. Franklin’s artistry is quite commendable, but you know what that “road to Hell” is paved with? The script seems to roll out every “rags to riches”, “stardom suffering” cliche we’ve seen in so many better musical biographies. Plus they were done superbly in so many efforts. The abusive, controlling spouse was more compelling in WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT. The “booze battles” and “on stage collapse’ just reminds us of the superior COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER. Perhaps they’re so glaring is because they seem rushed. Even at nearly 145 minutes, the life and career of the Queen, only taking us to 1972 (she passed in 2018), feels like a quick highlight “reel”. A TV miniseries might have been better suited, though the one from last year on cable with Cynthia Erivo had its fumbles. I had seen the first couple of hours and was surprised how the big-time feature movie sugar-coated much of the story, Ted’s shady former business is hinted at here, while the TV version had him in full “love-broker” (from the 1982 classic NIGHT SHIFT) mode (it’s teased with some bloody crumbled currency). And usually, I decry the overuse of smoking, int his film we merely see Hudson holding a cigarette, while the real Aretha had to later fight lung cancer. I will say that the recreation of the era’s fashions is done well, though we never see Hudson in some of Franklin’s more, “out there” outfits (during the end credit montage we see when she went blonde). I did find Ted’s ill-fitting fedoras a bit much. And the film does start to spark in a couple of scenes that try to illustrate the “creative process”. The first is with Muscle Shoals, and later we see Franklin and her two sisters working out the title tune in the pre-dawn hours (much to Ted’s annoyance). But soon we rushed through more life and career milestones, though new children seem to pop up after a record album montage that denotes time passage, almost as an afterthought. The songs (many are just presented as “snippets” and segments) are compelling, but the pedestrian direction from TV vet Liesl Tommy never injects that energy into the often overwrought (Aretha verbally blasts everyone in sight, family and staff, during some downtime at home) life story. Aretha Franklin will forever deserve our admiration and RESPECT. This film, well not so much. You’re better off downloading a greatest hits compilation,
2 Out of 4
RESPECT opens in theatres everywhere on 8/13/2021
