![]() The latter only appears in one scene, when he brings Etta James to Len in a hotel room, so she can sing for him. The most glaring omissions are arguably legendary musician Bo Diddley, and Leonard’s brother Phil Chess, who co-owned the label. To present a story this important, and leave out, add on, and outright conjure up certain aspects is baffling. ![]() I think The Beach Boys and Rolling Stones are even shown in the opposite order of reality. They mention The Beach Boys (1960s group), then The Rolling Stones coming to America (also 60s), and THEN show Elvis Presley performing in the 1950s. The timeline of Cadillac Records is all wrong. To be fair, though, she was pretty decent in this scene (there’s a spoiler of sorts at the end of this video, just to warn you). You gotta do what you gotta do to get your film to the masses. If it weren’t for her, this movie wouldn’t have been as well known. She was cast simply to draw in an audience of her fans to the cinemas, and to sell copies of the soundtrack. Is it bad to just say… Beyonce Knowles? She sounds nothing like Etta James, nor does she look like her, nor is she a good actress. He had his mannerisms, stage presence (and “duck walk”) down perfectly. For someone who predominantly a musician, not an actor, he is surprisingly skilled! Mos Def played Chuck Berry like he really was Chuck Berry. ![]() I hope they will appear together at some point (although, I think the movie will be made up of separate vignettes). Wright and Brody will both star in the upcoming Wes Anderson movie, The French Dispatch in July of this year. It really felt like a friendship… albeit a shady one, at times. The two were a superb match, and had palpable chemistry. A figure both inspirational, and at times, not too likable. Granted, I don’t know much about the real Muddy, but the performance was wonderful, regardless. Jeffrey Wright was great as Muddy Waters. Paying off disc jockeys to get black artists airplay they wouldn’t get otherwise, though, was actually worth it. He knows what it takes to make things happen in the music industry, even if the ends don’t quite justify the means. I also liked that Adrien was playing a character originally from Poland, as he is part Polish himself (along with Hungarian, and Czech), and usually has to play ethnicities other than his own.īrody plays Chess with a blend of suave, smart, and smart-ass that is very effective. I also enjoyed the period piece feel: classic cars, fashions of the era, etc. ![]() There are quite a few classic tunes throughout, and the actors do a good job performing them. The main thing to enjoy about this movie is the music. Kind of like Dorotta in The Pianist (she didn’t exist). As I’ve stated before, Hollywood doesn’t seem capable of making a “based on a true story” movie without adding in a romance that never happened. The movie takes some liberties with that, as well. The real Chess was more concerned with making money, and not giving the artists much of it.Įtta James (portrayed here by Beyonce) also shot down the idea that there was ever any romantic relationship between her and Chess. Adrien’s version of Len Chess is mainly concerned with getting black artists heard. Cast: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Eamonn Walker, Beyonce Knowles, Cedric the Entertainer, Gabrielle Union, Mos Def, and Norman ReedusĪdrien plays a slightly sanitized version of Leonard Chess, founder of Chess Records, a pioneering blues and rock n’ roll label. ![]()
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