Cadillac Records (2008)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Darnell Martin

Writer (WGA):

Darnell Martin (written by)

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Music | Romance

Tagline:

If you take the ride, you must pay the price.

Plot:

Chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists.

Plot Keywords:

1950s | Sex | Singing | Rock 'n' Roll | Immigrant

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Leonard Chess
Jeffrey Wright	...	Muddy Waters
Gabrielle Union	...	Geneva Wade
Columbus Short	...	Little Walter
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Willie Dixon
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Revetta Chess
Eamonn Walker	...	Howlin' Wolf
Mos Def	...	Chuck Berry
Beyoncé Knowles	...	Etta James
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joshua Alscher	...	Mick Jagger
Tim Bellow	...	Man in the Caddy
Tony Bentley	...	Lomax
Lawrence P. Beron	...	Overseer
Tammy Blanchard	...	Isabelle Allen
Eric Bogosian	...	Alan Freed
Marc Bonan	...	Keith Richards
Wayne Cobham	...	Piano - Ettas Recording Recording Group
Ryan Curtis	...	Picnic Boyfriend
Veronika Dash	...	Blonde
Eshaya Draper	...	Charles Waters - 7 Years Old
John Farrer	...	Violinist - Ettas Recording group
Shiloh Fernandez	...	Phil Chess
Jill Flint	...	Shirley Feder
Doug W. Goldman	...	Trumpet - Ettas Recording group
Gano Grills	...	Slick Pimp
Suzette Gunn	...	Minnie
Evan Hart	...	Young lover
Osas Ighodaro	...	Vicky - Maid
Kevin Jackson	...	Mysterious Black Man
Albert Jones	...	Hubert Sumlin
Nate Jones	...	Etta's Recording Group
Rayan Lawrence	...	Harmonica Player
Chyna Layne	...	Juanita
Malikha Mallette	...	Little Walter's girlfriend
Kevin Mambo	...	Jimmy Rogers
Aaron Munoz	...	Manager
Anthony Del Negro	...	Bandstand Dancer
Natasha Ononogbo	...	Muddy Waters' Girlfriend
Ginnie Randall	...	Muddy Waters Grandmother
Norman Reedus	...	Chess
Jake Robards	...	Robert
Jay O. Sanders	...	Mr. Feder
Stephen Seidel	...	Officer Brown
Derrick Simmons	...	Dice Player
Valence Thomas	...	James Cotton
Dwan Dink Young	...	Drums - Ettas Recording group

Also Known As:

Cadillac Rock (Greece) (DVD title) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44889) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | Japan:PG-12

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Company:

Parkwood Pictures

Trivia:

Leonard Chess had a brother named Philip who was his partner in both the night club and Chess Records. Philip, however, neither appears nor is mentioned in the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Eric Boghosian (as Alan Freed) is shown introducing "Surfin' USA", which came out in 1963 but Freed was already out of the radio business by that time.

Quotes:

Muddy Waters: You alright? Damn it.
Little Walter: I had no business being that pretty anyway.

Movie Connections:

References "Bandstand" (1952)

GREAT Music, Flashy Nostalgia, Fascinating Cultural History

"Cadillac Records" is a fun, fast, flashy introduction to the world of Chess Records. In the 1950s, Leonard Chess, a Polish-born Jew in Chicago, along with his brother Phil (not seen in this film) produced "race" records by African American blues and rock and roll legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry and Etta James.

These artists' work had huge impact on popular music; the Rolling Stones are shown on a pilgrimage to Chess Studio. Their music is great and is played all but non-stop on the soundtrack, which is a very good thing. Flashy glimpses into the glamorous styles of the 1950s and 60s include loving looks at the many Cadillacs Chess gives as gifts to his star performers.

Jeffrey Wright is quietly compelling as Muddy Waters. Mos Def is a charming Chuck Berry; he really communicates the charisma that Berry exuded to his adoring female fans. Eamonn Walker is terrific, and appropriately intimidating, as Howlin' Wolf. Walker electrifies the screen with his every morsel of screen time; I wish that after they'd finished "Cadillac Records," they had just kept the sets up and kept the cameras running and began a biography of Howlin' Wolf with Walker in the lead. Beyonce Knowles is very beautiful and pays worthy tribute to Etta James, the singer she plays.

"Cadillac Records" feels a bit rushed, and not as deep and probing as it could have been. Perhaps much backstory was cut out? A shame, because Adrien Brody, a brilliant and compelling actor, is not given enough to do.

So much more could and should have been said about Chess the man and his motivations, and the complex relationship he had with his singers. There is the story that Chess put Muddy Waters to work painting his ceiling. Some accused him of paternalism; curious viewers are advised to pick up Nadine Cohodas' book "Spinning Blues into Gold: The Chess Brothers and the Legendary Chess Records." Also, "Cadillac Records" can't avoid the clichés inherent in music biopics: the innocent character is introduced to drugs for the first time, and is ruined by them; the self destructiveness of brilliant people, the exhilarating, brutal, rags-to-riches-to-obscurity trajectory of show biz careers. For all that, "Cadillac Records" is fun and it makes you want to learn more about an important cultural moment in American history.