Cadillac Records (Sony Pictures)
Too Many Stories Cause A Loss of Focus
Cadillac Records is a movie about the rise and fall of the artists involved with Chess Records. These included Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Walter, Howlin Wolf and Etta James. The movie focuses on so many characters that all of the stories suffer. It would have been better to pick one or two individuals and give a complete description of their lives rather than try to get everybody into the mix.
Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) is the man with the dream. He knows talent when he sees it and when Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) comes his way he knows he is on to something good. In short order he has had an accidental fire at the club he owns and uses the insurance money to build Chess Records. The title of the movie comes from the fact he gives his artists Cadillac automobiles to celebrate their successes.
A little later Leonard hires Little Walter (Columbus Short) to work with Muddy. Walter is a bit of a hothead and eventually gets into trouble. Both Leonard and Muddy try to save him from himself. Muddys girlfriend Geneva (Gabrielle Union) also tries.
Chuck Berry (Mos Def) is on the scene for a short period of time but gets caught transporting minors across state lines for immoral purposes and ends up in prison. It is never clear whether his prosecution is for racial reasons or for legitimate ones.
Toward the end of the movie Chess discovers Etta James (Beyonce Knowles). Etta has a drug problem as well as other psychological ones. Still she can sing like an angel and actually is able to cross over from the Rhythm and Blues side of music to the pop charts. She also has a love affair of sorts going on with Leonard.
Each of these stories is interesting but there are just too many for one movie to contain. We learn the most about Muddy Waters but even there we dont really get to know the man. Berry is interesting but he appears for a few scenes and then disappears. Def is so good in this role that we want to see more.
Beyonce is amazing as Etta James. She shows a dramatic talent that we have not see in the past. And when she sings, well she stops the show. This should be a good stepping stone for her in her acting career.
The movie is rated R for profanity and violence.
Cadillac Records is a movie that could have been better with a pruning of the cast of characters. The actors are uniformly good but the stories just dont get the attention they should. You end up with glimpses of lives but no details to speak of in anyones case.
I scored Cadillac Records a classy 6 out of 10.
