Respect (2021) is a movie we saw in theatres last weekend. The movie focuses on the upbringing of Aretha Franklin and the challenges of working with her father and some life experiences that haunted her for her entire life. It also shows challenges she had with her first husband who was abusive and often interfered with her business decisions. It concludes with her evolution as a artist, person and activist. This movie is directed by Liesl Tommy (episodes of Jessica Jones and The Walking Dead) and stars Jennifer Hudson (Dream Girls), Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Audra McDonald (Beauty and the Beast), Marlon Wayans (White Chicks) and Tituss Burgess (Dolemite is My Name). The storyline was very PG-13 and not detailed enough. The history of C. L. Franklin and those Saturday Night sex parties and how that likely led to events in this movie was glossed over. It also showed zero interactions with her children, the nature of her relationships with their father, who they thought the first father really was, etc. A lot of those inner demons and struggles led to her drinking issues and all of that is glossed over because the film lacked the depth of her past. There's an Aretha Franklin series with Cynthia Erivo that shares the deeper backstories. I'd recommend giving that a shot. This is worth watching, as Hudson is very good in executing what she was asked to deliver. She should be very proud of this performance. The cinematography, her attire and the settings are well done. I'm not sure I loved the casting of Marlon Wayans. Forest Whitaker was an okay C. L. Lewis; but again, he was toned down. Overall I think this is a PG-13 storyline that could have been delivered with more details and depth. It could have been a masterpiece. Instead they decided to jump over the details and get into her marriage and recording career. It took the air out of the ball and caused the film to fall flat. I'd score this a 6/10.
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Jennifer Hudson is an excellent actress, and I always thought she would be a great choice to portray Aretha Franklin. It would be no easy task to fully portray Franklin's legacy on screen in an authentic manner, but after having seen the film early at a Fandango advance screening, I'm happy to say that she succeeded. Hudson's acting range is potent and profound. She is able to clearly convey passion, empathy, and emotional challenges where appropriate in the film's narrative. The film attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of most of Franklin's life, from her challenging early childhood until the 1970s, but primarily focuses on the mid-to-late 60s and early 70s. Its narrative structure is a bit choppy and awkwardly paced, although it should be noted that (to state the obvious) no individual's life depicted in a biopic can fit completely neatly into the conventional three-act Hollywood film structure.
To state the obvious, Hudson's leading performance is the true crown jewel of the film. The film does a great job at humanizing Aretha Franklin, while still showing her emotional and substance-related struggles in a realistic way. Supporting performances in the film are quite strong as well. Particularly notable are Forest Whitaker giving a commanding and powerful performance as Franklin's father, and Marlon Wayans portraying her violent, self-centered husband. Hudson's singing voice is great as well, and her performances of songs such as "Respect," "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," and "Amazing Grace" are superb. Despite the exceptional acting talent on display in the film, "Respect" sometimes waddles a bit too much in formulaic and conventional tropes of biopics. The film sometimes comes off as playing it a bit too safe, and shies away from taking any noteworthy creative risks that could have had greater stakes or emotional impact within the context of the viewing experience. At about 2.5 hours, it runs a bit too long, and there's definitely about 30 minutes worth of scenes in here that do not add much to the overall narrative and could easily have been cut. That said, an awards-worthy lead performance makes the film generally a solid one. Recommended. 7/10. -
mrashtastic8918 August 2021I went to see this film today and was really excited, but this film didn't deliver what I thought it would.
Jennifer Hudson is phenomenal as Aretha Franklin, she has an incredible voice and portrayed her really well.
But there wasn't too much plot to follow, and if you're gonna put Mary J. In a biopic about Aretha, make her do more, she pretty much appeared and disappeared.
Also, Marlon Wayans could've been better, the scene in the hotel where he keeps calling that guy a redneck felt tacked on and cringey.
This film is also way too long, at least 20 minutes could've been cut, the opening was way too stretched out and the church scene was the same.
In the end respect was a bit of a disappointment, and I'm gonna give it a C+ -
TxMike24 December 2021This isn't exactly a cradle-to-grave documentary of Aretha Franklin's life and career, however it does cover quite a lot. She had a hard childhood, her very strict preacher father was a womanizer, even impregnating a 12-yr-old girl when Aretha was just five. In turn Aretha was impregnated by a local boy when she was only 12. Her mother was mostly absent and her grandmother was the woman of the house.
But Aretha always liked singing and her voice was her gift. When she eventually found what kind of singing she wanted, in a somewhat famous Muscle Shoals session in Alabama, her career and fame caught fire. But she still had to deal with demons including an abusive husband.
The only actress-singer performing today that could do justice to Aretha is Jennifer Hudson and she really shines. Both her acting and singing stand out. The movie closes with a recreation of that famous live performance in 1972 with the great rendition of 'Amazing Grace'. The video of that performance by Aretha is available to view online, it was the first thing I viewed after watching the movie "Respect."
Good movie and a great Jennifer Hudson performance. My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. -
steiner-sam18 August 2021He film begins with a 10-year-old Aretha Franklin (Skye Dakota Turner) singing at a party at the home of her father, Rev. Clarence Franklin (Forest Whitaker). The Rev. Franklin is very controlling and unfaithful to his wife, Barbara (Audra McDonald), who left him several years before but still maintains contact with Aretha and is a musical mentor to her until she died in a car accident. We learn that Rev. Franklin can be physically abusive, that Aretha was raped as a child, and that she had two children, one of them at the age of 12.
The film then shifts to Franklin (now played by Jennifer Hudson) as a 16 or 17-year-old touring with Martin Luther King (Gilbert Glenn Brown). She soon meets Ted White (Marion Wayans), a local music producer. Unfortunately, he also is controlling and sometimes abusive. However, they eventually marry and have a child, but Aretha leaves him after he abused her on a European tour in 1968.
The film slowly follows her efforts to find her own voice despite her great insecurities. Her relationship with her father waxed and waned over the years, as did her relationships with others near to her.
The strength of this film is the music. Her trouble with relationships and her alcohol abuse is clearly portrayed. In addition, the evolution of her musical voice is engaging.
There are also weaknesses. The variety of people in the background of her life is confusing, and the abuse she experienced in the early part of her life is underplayed.
The movie is worth it for the rendition during the credits of the real Aretha Franklin's performance of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C., in 2015. -
Recently I saw a great TV series, Genius: Aretha Franklin, which offered the width and breadth of Aretha Franklin, showing the myriad experiences that made her who she became.
The Genius series was ambitious with its shifting time and harsh moments, but Respect is a more traditional biopic, with many of the edges sanded off. It's not that there aren't good moments - Aretha creating in the studio or putting on a fabulous show can be electrifying - it's just that those moments aren't used to build anything. Genius suggested that Aretha's life was worth telling because she was interesting, Respect tells you Aretha's life is worth telling because, well, she's famous, and people like to learn about famous people.
Jennifer Hudson is excellent. Respect makes you wish you could go back in time and see Aretha in concert in a way Genius didn't. But in the end there's a "so what" quality to the endeavor. -
Movi3DO14 August 2021A biopic about Aretha Franklin and her journey to find her voice.
Honestly I was not excited much for this movie, and only watched it because of the T-Mobile Tuesday ticket discount. The plot of the movie was done many many times before. We have a character reached their highest, then lowest, and then redeeming themselves. Recent movies like Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody had this plot and were executed better.
The best part of this movie was the lead actress Jennifer Hudson, who had an amazingly powerful voice. This made all of the songs in the movie enjoyable and empowering to hear.
Talking more about the plot, towards the end, for some reason the pace sped up too quickly. I only know that she had reached her best and worst, but I didn't know exactly why she got to those points. It felt like out of nowhere she just reached her lowest point. Also, even though the first hour or so set up Aretha's struggle pretty well, there were still some parts that moved too fast and became disorientating.
Overall, a plot that I have seen before, but wasn't executed as well as it could. 6.5/10. -
"RESPECT" (2021 release; 145 min.) is the latest bio-pic about Aretha Franklin. You may recall that earlier this year there was the 8 part TV mini-series "Genius: Aretha" which premiered in March, 2021, and while it wasn't bad, neither did it feel like it did full justice to the genius of Aretha. By then it was already well-known that a new bio-pic was being made starring none other than Oscar-winning Jennifer Hudson. In fact, in the last few years before passing away in 2018, Aretha herself had dared/blessed/encouraged Jennifer to play her. As the movie opens, we are introduced to 10 yr. Old Aretha, who is woken at night by her daddy to sing for a group of (mostly church) friends her parents are hosting for dinner. Aretha brings down the house, and before you know it, she is performing at church. In a clever montage, she starts singing "There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood", and young Aretha segues into adult Aretha....
Couple of comments: this movie is the feature debut for director Liels Tommy. She is best known for her work on Broadway. Here she makes the jump to the big screen, with a large production budget and an all-star cast fronted by Jennifer Hudson. The movie is quite good, although a bit slow at times. But the real reason for watching this is of course Jennifer Hudson, who brings a stunning performance. She really IS Aretha Franklin. As a consequence, even though the movie is not without flaws, "RESPECT" has now become the definitive Aretha Franklin biopic, period. I am already going on record that not only Jennifer Hudson will get a Best Actress Oscar nomination, but that she likely will be one of the, if not THE, frontrunner for that race.
As a complete aside, there is the original soundtrack of this movie, featuring Jennifer singing all those Aretha classics. Without the visuals of the movie, the soundtrack isn't nearly as compelling. But wait, there is a solution: in late July, a career-spanning and generous 4 CD box set (81 tracks; 310 min.) simply called "ARETHA" was released. Just like "RESPECT" is now the definitive Aretha Franklin biopic, "ARETHA" became the immediate, ultimate and definitive CD compilation. Bottom line: both "RESPECT" (the film) and "ARETHA" (the CD box) are a winner! -
tacom4 September 2021The one reviewer on here gives the movie 1 star because the movie does not show that Aretha was a b*tch , the other gives also 1 star because the movie does not show that Aretha had great humour. It is getting more and more tiresome that people think its ok to rate a movie like this as terrible and just worth 1 star. It says enough of those people though.
Respect is a bio-pic of a singer that struggles at the beginning of her career to follow her own path, her own voice. It ends in 1972 when Aretha recorded a gospel album, live at a church service. When she finally earned and gave herself that respect.
Jennifer Hudson is amazing, at times she sounds exactly like the Queen of Soul and her acting is at times absolutely great.
Respect is a great movie about the Queen of Soul and if you like her music, this is the movie for you. I suggest you don't listen to the people who before they see a minute of a movie decide to trash it just because its one of the 'big' movies. Its not fair, just give it a chance, I personally promise you, you won't be disappointed. -
SnoopyStyle27 December 2021This is a biopic of legendary performer Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson). Forest Whitaker plays her preacher father C. L. Franklin. Marlon Wayans plays his troublesome husband Ted White.
In the DVD extras, someone claims that this is not a standard cradle to grave biopic. In many ways, this is exactly that. It starts with Aretha as a child and goes to Aretha passing in real life. There is no doubt that Jennifer Hudson has all tools. She's not just a five tool player. She's an all tools player. The question is the very straight forward story telling. This seems to be a story begging to zero in on her 'demon'. A bit of imagination could turn that demon into a surreal character which first hounds her father, then her rapists, her husband, her alcoholism, and even MLK's murder. It's a suggestion. In an aside, the church finale should consists of the real Aretha footage. Again, this seems to be begging for that but maybe they didn't have the copyright. Director Liesl Tommy does transition to the aged Aretha singing Natural Woman which is really a second choice for me. This is a safe biopic starting with the very capable Hudson and the standard story telling. -
educatexan14 August 2021The film was more of a collection of vignettes than a complete story. It felt very disjointed. Characters appeared and disappeared, and stories were left incomplete. It was difficult to determine Aretha's motives during life changes.
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jasmineedwards-8160112 September 2021I took my mum and sister to see this last night, A very good watch, we all thought it was well cast and well executed. Outstanding performance from Jennifer Hudson as expected.
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rgkarim15 August 2021LIKES:
The Setting: A biography movie is all about immersing you in the experience and that involves making sure the setting is a window into the past. Respect accomplishes this beautiful, passing the decades not only in the houses that our heroine dwells, but in the city, culture, and style of our country's history. The revolving door of change is beautifully accompanied with fluid transitions, and a scenery that welcomes the drama and music and gives you an integrative touch that you sometimes don't realize you need
Documenting the Process: When you hear the stars talk about how hard it was to make their songs, do you ever wonder what inspiration and work went into the track? Respect copies what many movies do and gives you that look into the window of their creativity, showing you how Franklin's hits started to arise from motivational pieces that came before it. Seeing the stress behind it, the sources of her inspiration, and in particular the band dynamics that start to raise the music was my favorite part of the story and much like Bohemian Rhapsody I wanted to see more into her amazing musical mind.
The Dives Into Her Demons: Assuming there is some sense of truth in the movie, the personal life of Ms. Franklin was a much darker place than I realized. The movie does well to show the history of what led to her personal challenges, and why she made some of the choices that in this day and age would give many pause. Her early life is beautifully built in the forefront of the movie, and interwoven at key moments to fill those pieces of the puzzle. The early start of her career shows other afflictions and hinderances and what she went through this ordeal in both professional and personal. Then once the career starts, the dial goes up gradually to twelve, each notch increasing in a decent pace and really dropping you into each moment of the Queen of Soul's journey and that oomph helps you really get pulled into her music even further. Many of these moments felt very well needed, and I liked the dynamic and utilization of most characters to show just how included they were in her life.
The Musical Numbers: A musical bio needs the songs that made them famous to show off the talents of the artist. Respect has the numbers ready to go, and much like Rocket man in different venues to help give a little variety and looks at each facet of the presentation process. A studio number in one moment, becomes an apartment session in another, many finding the optimum moment to show the messages and impact that performance brought. It's a subtle story telling that adds another layer to the movie and many are the full performances, at least to start, which is a plus for me. Those costumes and setting pieces I talked about earlier are magnified in these moments and in a sense also amplifies the fun you'll have with this film as well.
The Acting: Ms. Franklin's lives was filled with a lot of people helping her through the battlefield she faced on multiple levels. Many members were integrated super well, and the cast did a brilliant job hitting each role to a T. Whitaker is still as incredible as he was in films like the Butler, playing her father and all the conservative principles he brought. His impact in her life was very loaded, and Whittaker captures all the attitudes, mannerisms, and passion that such a father represents. A job well done for his ability to accomplish this and how well he mixed with the rest of the group. McDonald hit her roles well when she was on screen, the elegance captured well in her postural presentation, while her more inspirational moments hold such emotion. Yet the star of the show is of course Hudson herself and the wonderful performance she gave in this film. While there are some notable differences between Franklin and her tone, Hudson studied much of the attitude, energy and air that the legend once held. She hits the song notes to a T, has the emotional fervor in those notes of raw passion and troubles, and even has the stage presence we saw in Franklin's recorded numbers. Off stage, her acting for the drama components has some bite to them as well, and shows an entirely different spectrum of skills that Hudson holds in her bag of skills. An Oscar worthy performance for sure, this is probably one of the biggest selling points of the film for me.
DISLIKES: Some facets of the story Incomplete: In the time span they showed the movie, I give them props for how much they got in on the life of Ms. Franklin. However, several of the stories were more like teasers, just enough to give you the impact and consequences, but also left bland and feeling hastily tied up. The dynamics with several of the characters, the fallout from several choices made, and even seeing more of her time in the Civil Rights were only hinted and given her contributions I would have liked to see more of these components.
The Pacing Inconsistency: Biographies are tricky to get the life and every moment just right, and still get the numbers in as well. Respect starts out so well, building into the moment and adding just enough song interruptions to keep you baited. Once the career starts the musical numbers start to appear a little more frequently, but still in a balanced manner that kept entertainment and drama in a nice dance of quality. Then the ending happens and that's when the momentum is interrupted and the balance is lost for me. Focusing more on the drama and build up to her legendary performance, the pace of the film suddenly drags, and I felt the movie starting to slug through instead of keeping that fun pace. As impacting as it was, I always find myself a bit more bored during the low points, just because of how much I miss the music piece of it. Thus, after such a moving and dynamic middle, to hit this sluggish end took points off for me.
Music Numbers Not Quite The spectacle: Bohemian Rhapsody and Jersey Boys showed us how one can recreate the numbers that had people's toes tapping and minds blown. Complete tracks with amazing choreography and the spectacle that made me feel like I had traveled back in time. And Respect starts to do this, and again some of those numbers are perfect for getting lost in the moment. Yet, the numbers are not quite as entertaining or coordinated and several ended a bit too abruptly when they were getting started. I would have liked to see more of her work presented in that full spectacle and really give the Queen's work the full respect it deserved.
Real Vs. Overdramatic?
Always something to try and decipher, the tale of Ms. Franklin is indeed one with a lot of questions regarding the true details that led to her life. Was the manager as bad as he was looked at? Did her father really have such a tight control to be the monster seen in the movie? Was the first label really that boring and limiting? Did she really have that many "adventures" to result in such a broken family? I don't know, but depending on your knowledge of her career, you might be wondering how much was amplified by Hollywood to get a spectacle.
The verdict: Respect is indeed an emotional roller coaster when it comes to the musical biography genre. It's got heart, history, and drama that is rich in culture and a portrayal of the Queen of Soul's journey to legendary status. Being pulled into each decade of life, getting all the facets and seeing those struggles present itself in so much variety gave a more complete picture that at first moved so well. With a fantastic actress to lead the cast that puts as much soul into the role as Ms. Franklin put into her music. The numbers as well really help add spirit to the movie and at times held just as much punch as the drama moments itself. Yet Respect suffers from pace inconsistency, leaving stories in the shallow end and some of the musical numbers incomplete. So much potential sort of lost in the timing, and maybe with a little more planning and pizazz the full effect could have been brought to light. Much like you have read before, the movie almost needed to be a miniseries, docuseries, or some extension, because more time would have given a wider spread to enjoy the life of the legend. My scores for this film are below, and my recommendation is to give this one a shot, but perhaps at home instead of the theater:
Biography/Drama/Music: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0. -
dhill31425 August 2021I have to be fair; these are different movies with different subjects, "Respect" attempts to follow the same format but fails. I saw the movie last night, and as most have stated, Jennifer Hudson's vocal skills are unquestionable. Her acting was satisfactory. The major problems of the film were casting, bad acting, and lack of flow. Forest Whittaker was fine, but Marlon Wayans attempt at bringing out his "Inner Ike Turner" was - almost laughable. I couldn't take him seriously, no matter how hard he tried. Also, the actor portraying Dr. King damn near had a handlebar mustache, that ain't right. The movie tried so hard to make the audience feel a certain way during scenes that it felt awkward. The ending appears as though it was an afterthought, "Just have her singing Amazing Grace and throw up a bunch of lifetime achievements..." In short, this movie could have been a parody of how to not make a bio-pic of a great musician. Where "Ray" set the standard, "Respect" hasn't earned it. Aretha Franklin deserves better, much better.
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statuskuo18 August 2021Jennifer Hudson is stunning as the Queen of Soul. But let's not overlook Dakota Skye Turner who plays young Aretha with so much depth in her eyes that blow away all the adult performances.
Despite all that, the unfortunate thing, as most have mentioned is that it is bits and pieces of Aretha's life. Perhaps it is because she was so internal with her pain and told most of it in song. But it soon becomes a droning cliched trip until the next powerhouse tune Jennifer is to belt out. This is obviously on the same playing field as "What's Love Got To Do With It?" With the Ike Turner character played wonderfully by Marlon Wayans. Again....same road traveled. All which culminates in a spiritual re-awakening concert recorded live church service (which people may not know was attended by Mick Jagger).
All in all a very large scope film by director Liesl Tommy that duffers from too many directions and not one which encompasses the very complex woman.
To mention, a nice breathing light hearted moments with podcast celeb Marc Maron as Jerry Wexler. The catering record producer who saw the real genius at work. A nice respite from the heaviness of the flick. -
Turfseer28 August 2021I saw the National Geographic Genius mini-series entitled "Aretha" starring Cynthia Erivo and now I can compare it to Respect, the film version starring Jennifer Hudson. The advantage of course of the mini-series is that a lot more can be told in the eight episode format stretching out over a few weeks as opposed to the film with a running time of 145 minutes.
Indeed Aretha's early life is given short shrift in the film glossing over very important events including the death of her mother Barbara (Audra McDonald-seen only briefly) and childhood pregnancy. Those fly by in an instant and we're left confused as to what impact they had on Aretha and the rest of her family. The TV version also fleshes out Aretha's siblings much more successfully along with her relationship to her children.
As Aretha's father, Forest Whittaker doesn't fare as well as Courtney B. Vance in the TV version, as we virtually lose track of him for most of the second half of the film. Both actors convey that the father was a control freak and sometimes abusive, but Whittaker is saddled with a script that makes him almost completely unlikable (whereas Vance shows a bit more subtlety). Only when C. L. Franklin mourns the death of Martin Luther King Jr. And asks Aretha for forgiveness, do we see his more vulnerable side.
I think Marlon Wayans in the film as Franklin's abusive Ted White is more convincing than Malcom Barrett in the TV series. Both the film and the mini-series make the point that Aretha basically married her father and it took her years to emotionally overcome the demons that arose due to the abuse from both her father and husband.
Both Erivo and Hudson do a similar job in portraying Aretha's tormented life, depicting the difficulties she had to overcome due to domestic violence and the pressures of becoming a star in the music business. The difference here is that Hudson's voice towers over Erivo and you can hear that Hudson was influenced by gospel music just like Aretha.
If I might be permitted to say this, the big production number of the song Respect in the film is even better than Aretha's version (this is principally due to modern recording techniques, which tower over the recording capabilities of the 1960s).
In dealing with Aretha's childhood the child actors who play her in both versions prove to be equally effective (despite their markedly different demeanor). Also similar in tone and presentation are David Cross and Marc Maron (who look alike) both conveying Jerry Wexler's talent as a producer and one who always had to play diplomat when dealing with the abusive and controlling Ted White.
Perhaps the weakest character in the film version is Aretha's second hubby, Ken Cunningham (Albert Jones) whom we learn next to nothing about with the role being filled out much better in the mini-series. Mary J. Blige is excellent in a cameo as Dinah Washington who gives Aretha some "tough love" advice. For all those Kimmie Schmidt fans, Titus Burgess shows up as gospel artist James Cleveland and gets to sing a few entrancing bars.
Respect is basically a by the numbers biopic. Listening to interviews with Aretha later in life she comes off as sassy, extremely knowledgeable about music and with a great sense of humor. Aretha's humor is not conveyed is this film but maybe during her formative years she was the unhappy militant as the film scenarists depict her here.
Unlike the mini-series, the film ends in 1972 when Aretha overcomes her alcoholism and returns to her gospel roots-producing on her own a gospel album that sold the most copies of all her records she ever released.
The depiction of Aretha's downward spiral is a little hard to take but at least the film ends on a happier, inspirational note. Fortunately there are Jennifer Hudson's vocal chops that absolutely save the day. -
trevorguru30 August 2021When you tell a story of a legend, give to someone who can handle. Example bryan singer, ridley Scott, please put more names on the comments
I'm so upset and mad...
Hell give to the lady who directored dirty dancing... -
CinemaSerf24 January 2023Much has been made of the late Aretha Franklin's choice of actress to portray her in this early career retrospective - but I wonder what she might have made of the rest of the cast? Jennifer Hudson is superb when she sings, she captures much of the range and vitality of Ms Franklin. Unfortunately, as an actress she fares a little less well, and coupled with a really mediocre supporting cast the film drags quite frequently. The chronology of the story is simple enough, depicting the transition from innocent young girl - a sort of vocal trophy for her father, woken up to enthusiastically perform to the great and the good at house parties - through her disputes with the same strongly willed father (Forest Whitaker) as she hooks up with 12-years older Ted White (Marlon Wayans) and starts her bumpy road to stardom. Maybe had there been more actual opportunity for Hudson to deliver more songs, then the film would have stood out more - but there is too much emphasis on the (frankly, occasionally quite horrifying) domestic problems that rather turn this into an authentic, but still rather uninteresting tale of drink induced family woes. Certainly, these go some way to explaining the gritty determination of the woman to succeed, but they are allowed a dominance in the film that after a while become a little bit cyclical, dull even. What is clearly evident is her pride in her race, but that was also inclusive - she worked with people based on their skills and abilities regardless of their colour - including the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section - and that proves testament to a woman prepared to demonstrate a free thinking that was well ahead of it's time. Marc Maron works quite well as her long-suffering Atlantic records producer Jerry Wexler and Mary J. Blige turns in an interesting interpretation of a slightly temperamental Dinah Washington, but for the main it's all down to Hudson and she just needed to focus more on the wonderfully powerful portfolio of songs and less on the somewhat clunky drama. Stick around for the very end - there is a great "bonus track" from the lady herself.
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gingerholl13 August 2021Jennifer Hudson and Forrest Whittaker give wonder performances. Liked this movie way more than I thought I would.
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jboothmillard23 September 2021One of the biggest divas and the "Queen of Soul" was always going to get a biopic, it was a shock to the world when she died, so this film being a made a couple of years after made perfect sense, I was looking forward to it. Basically, in 1952, in Detroit, Michigan, ten-year-old Aretha Franklin (Skye Dakota Turner) lives with her Baptist pastor father, C. L. Franklin (Forest Whitaker), and her sisters Erma (Kennedy Chanel) and Carolyn (Nevaeh Moore). Aretha is traumatised following the sudden death of her mother Barbara (Audra McDonald), and as a result she stops talking. She is unwilling to speak until her father forces her to sing at church after weeks of silence. In 1959, teenage Aretha (Jennifer Hudson) is a mother to two children (she had her first child aged 12, and her second aged 15, it is implied she may have been raped the first time, but it is unclear). At a party at her father's house, she meets local producer Ted White (Marlon Wayans), and they strike up a conversation, but C. L. interrupts, warning Ted to stay away from his family. Later, C. L. surprises Aretha with tickets to New York for a meeting with Columbia Records executive John Hammond (Tate Donovan). Aretha is offered a contract and begins to sing jazz records with Columbia. Aretha releases four albums but has yet to have a big signature hit. She performs in a club, with her inspiration and long-time family friend Dinah Washington (Mary J. Blige) in the audience. Dinah is angered by Aretha singing her song, and backstage tells Aretha to find songs that move her and stop trying to fit a polished image. After reuniting with Ted White, Aretha and he begin a relationship. Aretha starts to skip recording sessions to see Ted, after becoming frustrated by lack of success following nine albums. On thanksgiving, Aretha returns home for dinner, she has brought Ted with her, disappointing her sisters and her angering father. They start to argue, culminating in Aretha announcing that she wants Ted to become her manager, C. L. begrudgingly consents. In 1961, Ted and Aretha marry and have a child, but Aretha is dropped by Columbia. Ted secures a deal with Atlantic Records, headed by veteran record producer Jerry Wexler (Marc Maron), and she performs with accomplished musicians in Muscle Shoals. There is a physical altercation with Ted, resulting in a black eye. But Aretha's spirit is lifted after returning home to Detroit and hearing her song "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" on the radio. One night, Aretha and her sisters are inspired to re-arrange Otis Redding's song "Respect," it becomes a #1 single. Aretha is empowered to take a more hands-on role in her career and starts to perform to in big venues with large audiences. Before a concert, longtime family friend Dr. Martin Luther King (Gilbert Glenn Brown) honours Aretha with an award from the Southern Christian Leadership Center. Aretha sings another signature hit, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and makes plans to sing for another civil rights event in Memphis. While Ted has plans for Aretha to break into the film industry, Wexler and other executives want to discuss an international tour, including Europe, and the meeting turns tense. After Time magazine publishes an article depicting Ted's abuse towards Aretha in a hotel lobby, an angry Ted confronts Aretha, causing her to end their relationship. Following the end of her marriage to Ted, Aretha begins dating her tour manager Ken Cunningham (Albert Jones), and eventually has her fourth child. Aretha and the black community are devastated by the assassination of King in 1968, and she and her father argue about the Movement. Aretha continues to release hit records but is overworked, constantly double-booking appearances and increasingly turning to alcohol and drugs to cope with the pressures. Aretha's siblings attempt to stage an intervention, but Aretha angrily tells them they are supported by her success. During a performance, a drunken Aretha falls from the stage and Ken leaves her. Aretha continues drinking until she sees a vision of her late mother and decides to sober up, leading to Ken reconciling with her. Aretha becomes convinced that she must return to her gospel roots, and approaches Wexler with the idea of producing a gospel album. Wexler worries a gospel album will not sell and tries to dissuade her, but he relents, on the condition that the recording will be filmed for a documentary. Aretha begins rehearsals with family friend and respected gospel artist James Cleveland (Tituss Burgess). Aretha is happy to see her father has come for the recording, he apologises to Aretha for the pain he has caused her. She begins to sing Amazing Grace; the album became the highest-selling album of her career with over two million copies in the United States and went double platinum. Sadly, Aretha Franklin passed away in 2018, the film ends with one of her last memorable stage appearances, at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, with President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle watching. Also starring Kimberly Scott as Mama Franklin, Heather Headley as Clara Ward, Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin, Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklin, LeRoy McClain as Cecil Franklin, and director Liesl Tommy as Fan. Hudson was chosen by Aretha herself; she is a spot-on with her look, and her recreation of Franklin's extraordinary vocal talent is truly impressive, the supporting performances of Wayans (the first time I'd seen him in a serious role) as the abusive husband and Whittaker as the strict father are also well done. I agree with critics that certain subjects of Franklin's life and career are skimmed over a little, including the subjects of racial prejudice, abuse, and alcoholism, and it is full of cliches. To be honest, I wasn't so bothered about these little niggles, the costumes and makeup are fantastic, and it is a fair script, the highlights are the studios scenes as Aretha's songs are assembled, and the sparkly concert sequences as Hudson belts out Aretha's best-loved hits, it is an entertaining and worthwhile musical biographical drama. Good!
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siddhunagar12 August 2021Jennifer Hudson for the longest time has been undermined as an actress and above all Underrated as a recording artist (despite being one of the best and having won plethora of accolades, but this is about to change with her astonishing portrayal of the Queen of Soul. Hudson so naturally inhabits the character, it's feels like it's Aretha on screen and not Jennifer. Apart from the obvious, that is JHud's brilliance, the rest of the cast is absolute 🔥, especially Forest Whitaker as Aretha's controlling and contradictory preacher father CL Franklin and Marlon Waynes, as her abusive first husband Ted White. The costumes and production design are literally out of the park brillant. I would conclude, by saying you just can't miss this brillant film.
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JohnDeSando14 August 2021Aretha Franklin deserves a biopic as good as she was as "The Queen of Soul" and a sterling human being. Well, she has it all in director Liesl Tommy's Respect, a warm-hearted paean to the 18-time Grammy winner and multiple other honors including the highest civilian award from the president of the United States. As we have learned from the lives of storied singers, it wasn't easy.
Although some of Franklin's biography is the stuff of cliché, such as a domineering father, an abusive husband, and addiction to alcohol, Respect is an honest, straightforward recounting of these tropes with the exception that Franklin was a better human being than most icons and arguably more talented.
As Jennifer Hudson plays her, you cannot help but love her vulnerability, her willingness to please her audience and her men, her devotion to family, and her breathless talent. Hudson thankfully doesn't try to imitate Franklin so much as inhabit her, or channel her if you will, so that the slightly-long treatment of her youth and the first dozen or so professional years speeds by.
I long to see her in another recording session like the first at Columbia Records with a roomful of Southern jazz players helping her find her voice, her way to R & B royalty, albeit in the crucible of racist white men making her talent grow even stronger in her feminist, Black defiance, as inexorable as the civil rights movement itself.
For me, the film has fireworks every time she enters a session, even late at night in her home when she and her sisters massage Otis Redding's Respect into a world-class classic of her own.
Hudson should scoop up an Oscar nomination, not just because she catches Franklin's spirit but also because as a singer and actor, she is watchable on her own-her girl-next-door exterior, her sweet longing to ingratiate, her ambition to get "hits," and her singular ability to belt a song almost as electrifying as the queen herself does.
However, this biopic is an ensemble affair, and Forest Whitaker as her influential father, C. L., and Audra McDonald as her encouraging mother are successful representations of family and celebrity clashing. That Martin Luther King is a personal friend of her father and subsequently of her shows the dignity and power of father and daughter. Marlon Wayans as Aretha's first husband, Ted White, is an embodiment of the pencil-thin mustachioed, dictator-womanizing creep who shows up in so many of these biographies. Witness Mary J. Blige take over a scene as Dinah Washington.
Respect brings honor to one of our nation's greatest artists-see it in theaters to believe it and mostly feel its magnificence. -
damianphelps27 September 2021Firstly the movie is at least 45 mins too long.
Secondly due to the story lines they choose to follow Aretha comes across as an alcoholic neglectful parent?
The end credits summary paints her in a much better light? -
I walked into this movie because I loved Aretha's music and her attitude. I walked out of this movie liking both less. The performances by the actors were good and I'm sure Hollywood will reward them come Oscar season, however the script is a mess. Hard to follow and nobody in the film came across as likable. I wanted to see something inspirational, how she rose above her problems. Didn't get that. There was hints of that at the end but only in the notes. I was really disappointed overall and found it a depressing movie.