Cadillac Records (2008)

writ and dir. by Darnell Martin
feat. Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Columbus Short, Beyonce Knowles, Cedric the Entertainer, Mos Def, Eamonn Walker

For a fan of the Chicago blues, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Etta James, it's hard not to be seduced by Cadillac Records, a film that understands that above all, it's about the music. And there's plenty of it, with terrific performances by all involved. Jeffrey Wright gets a much deserved role as the front man, and earns it, taking on Muddy's posture, swagger and upper lip. Mos Def runs with his glorified cameo as Chuck Berry, rambling through as though to match Berry's ripping guitar licks. And Eamonn Walker brings us the dark heart of the blues, an eerie, dangerous Howlin' Wolf.

Brody fares less evenly, convincing as a dreamer in the early portion of the film and a caring guardian for his boys, though feeling forced later as he oh so earnestly puts the moves on Beyonce as Etta James. This fabricated relationship is heavily leaned upon to provide a dramatic third act, lending some personal tragedy to the story, centering the focus on Chess and James for a life-threatening climax. But it fails miserably, uncovincingly faking a story of racial boundaries and giving Beyonce, the weakest of the performers in the film (eagerly bringing diva vibrato to James songs) an undeservedly bigger part (perhaps to accompany her producer credit).

Other than this misstep, if one can forget that there were two Chess brothers (Phil absent from the film) and forgive the alterations made to the various bluesmen's personalities and career histories in order to tell the central story of Muddy, then there are treasures to be found. The revelation of Muddy's baby from another woman plays like a traumatic blues song of a wife who knows she will stand by her man no matter what he may dole out. Questions of the relationship between musician and producer, perhaps another examploe of the white man making money off the hard work of the black man, are raised and left to simmer, acknowledging that there are no easy answers. But best of all, the film captures the ephemeral quality of music and fame, the thrill and the ache that comes when it's gone.