Idlewild (2006)

Director:

Bryan Barber

Writer (WGA):

Bryan Barber (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Musical | Romance

Plot:

A musical set in the Prohibition-era American South, where a speakeasy performer and club manager Rooster...

Plot Keywords:

Speakeasy | Gangster | Jazz Club | Unfaithful Husband | Female Nudity

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

André Benjamin	...	Percival
Big Boi	...	Rooster (as Antwan A. Patton)
Paula Patton	...	Angel
Terrence Howard	...	Trumpy
Faizon Love	...	Ace
Malinda Williams	...	Zora
Cicely Tyson	...	Mother Hopkins
Macy Gray	...	Taffy
Ben Vereen	...	Percy Senior
Paula Jai Parker	...	Rose
Bobb'e J. Thompson	...	Young Rooster
Patti LaBelle	...	The Real Angel Davenport
Ving Rhames	...	Spats
Jackie Long	...	Monk
Oscar Dillon	...	Bobo

Also Known As:

My Life in Idlewild (USA) (working title)
Speakerboxxx (USA) (working title)
Untitled OutKast Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Germany:12 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | USA:R (certificate #42268)

Filming Locations:

Burgaw, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Atlas Entertainment

Trivia:

The working title of the film was Speakerboxxx, named after Outkast's 2003 album.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first big song sung by Big Boi, the camera is on Andre playing the piano. A few seconds later, you see Big Boi dancing around the stage, but there is no one at the piano.

Quotes:

Trumpy: [Out of breath] What... was... that... you... told... me... Spatz? Never... never... bring... a... knife... to... a... gun... fight?
Trumpy: You son of a bitch jackass

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Idlewild (#13.13)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Movin' Cool (The After Party)

IDLEWILD - a film for people that love the cinema

There is a very good reason that films in general are getting significantly worse in every quality. Why? Because in our time, when a film is made that is intelligent or creative in some significant way, it is usually ripped to pieces by critics and the general audience, teaching 'Hollywood' a lesson that they take to heart all too well.

Idlewild is a first rate musical, and feast for the eyes. Like 'Running Scared (2006)', the director believes that there is no reason a movie made in the 21st century should not benefit from all the options modern film technology offers (and no, I don't mean the visual rubbish that assaults the eyes in recent Tony Scott efforts). However, the state-of-the-art methods are used strictly in the service of 'old fashioned' film entertainment values, and this seemingly 'insults' the 'too cool for school' types, for whom enjoyment seems to be the last reason to pay to see a movie.

The actors are great, the acting is fine, and the production values are top notch. The story is a little clichéd, and as a result, the writer does seem to have cut-n-pasted from various familiar sources. However, this is a very minor criticism in a film that uses music as much as the spoken word to tell a story.

While the music is (mostly) contemporary, it was written with the aim of slotting into a (fantasy) period drama, and does so beautifully. While many of the performers may seem to have a 'rap' background, if this puts you off seeing Idlewild you are seriously misjudging the creativity and range of their talent.

Some may claim the film is a little 'tame', but a much better description is 'inclusive'. In other words, Idlewild really wants to reach and impress a wide audience, and it is a great pity that this doesn't seem to have happened yet.

Idlewild is a sexy sophisticated 'feelgood' musical- a vanity project for OutKast no doubt, but also a wonderful treat for those that value todays's rarest treasure, a new movie worth making the effort to see.

By the way Idlewild is NOT 'one long music video' (and I'm hard placed to see such comments as 'innocent' given the power of this lie to put people off seeing the movie). So forget any fear of 'opera' (like Evita where everything is sung) or MTV masquerading as a film. This is a HBO production, like Deadwood or the Sopranos, and that means quality first, especially the quality of the dramatic presentation. However, although Idlewild is an 'adult' film (thank heaven- the PG13 sludge is killing me), it lacks the extreme and explicit content of many of HBO's TV productions, so may be safely viewed by more 'sensitive' types.

If you watch a lot of films, and have no greater pleasure than finding an unexpected gem, give Idlewild a go. It really is 'the one that got away'.