Although a movie’s score plays a major role in enhancing the mood and overall ambiance that has been established by the film, problems can arise if producers merely focus on the music and assume the rest of the movie will just fall into place. In “Cadillac Records,” the music is the story and, as a result, the film’s stirring songs speak volumes while the unoriginal script is off-key and effectively ruins the performance as a whole.
What is truly baffling about the production of this film is how director/writer Darnell Martin (“Prison Song”), who has only two relatively unknown film credits to her name, managed to pull together such a strong cast. Regardless of her motives, it is a relief that she brought in all of this talent because a few of these actors’ performances are the only thing keeping this screenplay somewhat bearable.
Based on a true story, “Cadillac Records” explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late ’60s by chronicling the legendary Chicago-based record company, Chess Records. Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody, “The Darjeeling Limited”) is a first-generation Polish immigrant who dreams of making it big in the music industry. With the help of blues musician Muddy Waters (Jeffery Wright, “Quantum of Solace”), Chess manages to start his own record company as well as sign some of the era’s most renowned musicians. Although Chess Records quickly rises to prominence, it doesn’t take long for the fame to begin plaguing the lives of both the artists and Chess himself.
If there is one thing for certain, it is that the script’s flaw is not its fascinating subject, which is undoubtedly worthy of being made into a motion picture. Instead, it is the way that Martin chose to approach this subject. Her screenplay is similar to past movies about musicians like “Ray” and “Walk the Line” in that she makes sure to draw attention to the artists’ vices and downfall. The reason this worked for those films and not Martin’s, however, is that this is the only thing Martin focuses on. As a whole, Martin develops only a couple of the film’s characters and, as a result, there a number of glaring oversights in the storyline.
That said, it is quite apparent that Martin designed this movie to be driven by its strongest aspect — the music. The alluring blend of Waters’ folksy blues, Etta James’s earth-shattering vocal range on “At Last” and Chuck Berry’s guitar is more than enough entertainment to divert the audience’s attention away from some of the film’s mistakes. Onscreen cameos by groups such as The Rolling Stones, who got their name from a Muddy Waters’ song, are also a welcomed addition.
With already one successful musical in her r?sum? and another compelling performance in this film, Beyonce (“Dreamgirls”) has certainly found her niche in the film industry. It should come as no surprise that she can vocally represent James, but as far as acting goes, her portrayal of the blues legend is surprisingly both heartrending and believable. Unfortunately, the film spends very little time developing Beyonce’s character beyond her drug problems.
The same goes for Chuck Berry. The rock ‘n’ roll pioneer is the film’s most animated character thanks to a hilarious, energetic performance by the typically restrained Mos Def (“Be Kind Rewind”). Although his singing doesn’t entirely reflect Berry’s, Def makes up for what he lacks melodically by giving a dead-on portrayal of Berry from his striking physical resemblance to his imitation of Berry’s trademark duck walk. Yet, as is the case with James, much of Berry’s life is omitted because Martin chose to focus on his obsession with women and the jail sentence that resulted from this fixation.
The film’s leading roles, though, are not quite as stellar. Brody gives a lackluster portrayal and appears just plain bored throughout the entire movie. Likewise, Wright is rather emotionless as Waters, and for some odd reason spends a majority of the film with an odd scowl across his face reminiscent of Marlon Brando’s in “The Godfather.”
With its rousing soundtrack and enticing subject, “Cadillac Records” is an enjoyable musical biopic despite the lack of a well-developed screenplay or charismatic lead performance. In the end, it is hard to imagine why it took so long for the story of Chess Records to reach the silver screen. One can only hope that it gets a better spin next time it is picked up.
3 stars out of 5
