|
Tuesday, 19 September 2006 16:31 |
| | Meg Hale |
Outkast has come to be a musical group to be reckoned with.
Its song, "Hey Yah," was one of the first, if not the first, true hip-hop song to be played regularly (and beyond regularly) on pop radio stations.
However, while clearly skilled musically, does Outkast really have what it takes to hold up a successful motion picture?
The
bandës film "Idlewild" is certainly getting some interesting and mixed
reviews from the critics. It is the story of two childhood friends who
grew up together in Idlewild, a small Southern town, in the 1920s. Both
are musicians, working in a juke-joint that they are forced to take
over, after witnessing the mob-hit on the former owner.
Naturally, the
two friends, Percival and Rooster, are played by Outkast frontmen Andre
Benjamin and Big Boi. The film, however, absolutely does not want for
more talented and well-known stars in the cast. The movieës supporting
cast includes Cicely Tyson, Ben Vereen, Macy Gray, Ving Rhames, Patti
LaBelle and Faizon Love.
Okay, so
Benjamin and Big Boi arenët exactly skilled actors ÇƒÓ and it shows. In
fact, the film opens with two child-actors playing the duo as kids, at
which point I found the characters more compelling, than as adults. The
film is not totally devoid of good acting, though.
Recent
Academy-award nominee Terrence Howard ("Crash") plays Trumpy, the newly
installed mob-boss who is trying to scam money off of the club-owners.
I think he is a tremendous actor and while this isnët exactly a role he
can shine in, he seems to have a really good time in it and is decently
intimidating, if I do say so myself.
By far, I
believe, the best performance in the movie is given by the long-legged,
fresh-faced newcomer Paula Patton. She plays Angel Davenport, a sassy
singer who is hired to sing in the club and strikes the fancy of shy
piano player, Percival (Benjamin). While she doesnët do any of her own
singing, reminding us that there is no longer such a thing as a "triple
threat" in Hollywood, she is on her way to stardom. Patton has even
already finished her next film "D?©j?Ü Vu," where she stars opposite
Denzel Washington.
Written and
directed by Outkast video director Bryan Barber, the plot of the movie
is predictable and not terrific. As a musical, it has many
opportunities to basically insert Outkast videos to move the plot
along. This would be a great method, if it worked. Some of the songs
are cool, but most donët fit into the plot and make the film seem
forced and unnatural.
For instance, at
one point in the plot, Percival sings a song that is meant to express
his pure love for Angel. The song he sings is called "She Lives in My
Lap." Despite my efforts, I cannot bring myself to find a song called
"She Lives in My Lap" romantic. I must be too much of a feminist, or
something.
The dance
numbers are awesome though! The songs combine ska, with hip-hop, jazz
and swing. It opens the door for a wide variety of dance moves done by
highly qualified dancers. Those are probably the best parts of the
movie, with the exception of the final number.
Percival is a
quiet, respectable pianist who has an enduring love for only Angel, but
in his final musical number Benjamin forgets heës playing a part and
grins like an idiot, while gawking at the dancersë sequined tushes.
While not only inconsistent with the character, it was really annoying.
"Idlewild" is
mostly fun, but has a bummer ending. It is visually exquisite, but
seems to be little more than one long music video. It is rated R for
nudity, violence and adult content.
Check it out if
you were a big fan of "Moulin Rouge" and want to see it again in
hip-hop form. I give the movie four of my six planets.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
