Short Cadillac Records Review

Cadillac Records doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s Oscar nom short list anymore, which is a shame. It’s a fine, overstuffed, star-struck bio pic that somehow holds its form despite having a half dozen leads, and leaves one wanting more. More Mos Def, especially—his joyous, layered glorified cameo as Chuck Berry could support a movie on its own. Mos Def looks like he’s having the time of his life as he inhabits perhaps the key actor in the events he discussed in Black on Both Sides thesis “Rock N Roll”.

The film does a good job of illustrating how black musicians stole rock and roll, how the blues became rock, and how white musicians stole the style (and sometimes the songs themselves), riding it to a level of acclaim, fame and wealth the innovators failed to achieve.

Part of that was the fault of Chess Record’s Leonard Chess, portrayed here by Adrian Body (Phil Chess, Leonard’s brother and business partner, is omitted from the film ). Leonard misleads and cheats his artists, cooking the books and swapping royalties amongst his artists. Yes, he gave Muddy Waters a chance he might not otherwise have had, but his ethical and financial misbehavior thereafter is not excused by his genuine love of the music and affection for the artists (Etta James in particular, if the dynamics here are to be believed). The film shows us this , even if it glosses over the ugliness after the character’s death in a wave of “but whatta guy” nostalgic mourning.

Jeffery Wright is great, but you expected that. Beyonce is much better as Etta James than she’s been in her other film roles—pity she’s not given a wider range of stuff to do. Eamon Walker is fantastic in his too-sparse role as Howlin’ Wolf, and made me wish the movie had been structured around the Waters/Wolf relationship and rivalry, rather than as the epic story of Chess Records. Not to dis Adrian Brody, but everyone else here is more compelling.

Despite the fact that the film really needed at least another 30 minutes (at under two hours, the running time is far too slight for the subject,) it coheres quite well and certainly never bores. Definitely a cut above most bio pics, and a great night at the movies.