''Idlewild'' is a 2006 American

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

written and directed by Bryan Barber. The film stars

André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. ...

and

Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a member of the southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside André 300 ...

of the hip hop duo Outkast, and the film features musical numbers that were written, produced and chiefly performed by the group. ''Idlewild'' contrasts the group's hip-hop,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

, and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

sound against a story based on a

juke joint Juke joint (also jukejoint, jook house, jook, or juke) is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United States. A juke joint ...

in the fictional Depression-era town of Idlewild, Georgia in 1935. Distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, the film is an

HBO Films HBO Films (formerly called HBO Premiere Films and HBO Pictures) is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. The division produces fiction and non- ...

co-production alongside

Mosaic Media Group Allen Shapiro is a media executive and investor. He is the former executive chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions (DCP), a former chairman of TV Guide, and a former entertainment lawyer. Shapiro was the executive producer of DCP's flagship p ...

and Forensic Films. It features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast t ...

including

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...

, Paula Jai Parker, Paula Patton,

Cicely Tyson Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...

Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a T ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

Ving Rhames Irving Rameses Rhames (born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles as IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the ''Mission: Impossible'' film series and gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in ''Pulp Fiction''. He also a ...

Macy Gray Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray ha ...

, Faizon Love,

Bruce Bruce Bruce Church (born February 9, 1965), better known as Bruce Bruce, is an American actor and stand-up comedian from Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in The Bluff. He was the host of BET's ''ComicView'' and has appeared in various stand-up comedy ...

, Malinda Williams,

Jackie Long Jackie Long (born October 23, 1981) is an American television and film actor, writer, musician, director and producer. He is also a voice actor for ''Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Roc ...

and

Bill Nunn William Goldwyn Nunn III (October 20, 1953 – September 24, 2016) was an American actor known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's film ''Do the Right Thing'', Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi ''Spider-Man'' film trilogy and as Terre ...

. ''Idlewild'' received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $12 million worldwide. It was nominated for six

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

Plot summary

The film follows Percival and Rooster, who have been close friends since childhood. In 1935, Percival works at his father Percy Senior's morgue during the day and plays piano at a local club called Church at night. Rooster becomes a singer at the club and a bootlegger; he also marries Zora, with whom he has five children. On a night Rooster is performing, gangsters Spats, Trumpy, Ace, and Rose attend to talk about a deal they have with the club. Angel Davenport, a singer from St. Louis who has a contract with the club, arrives backstage. Angel is actually Sally B. Shelley, an aspiring singer who stole the contract from the real Davenport. Rooster and Rose have sex in a car in a warehouse. When they hear people coming into the building, Rose jumps out of the car, gets dressed, and confronts Spats, Trumpy and Ace, who have just arrived. She then runs off, and Trumpy kills Spats and Ace to get the business for himself. Rooster runs into Trumpy while taking his family shopping, and Trumpy explains that the debt owed by Ace is now Rooster's problem. He has to come up with this money by selling liquor at Church bought from Trumpy's "suppliers." Rooster goes to Rose's house to warn her, but she is already packed up and ready to leave. Rose drives away in a taxi, being watched by one of Trumpy's henchmen. Meanwhile, Rooster begins to have more problems at the club and forces Angel to sing. After she has an attack of stage fright, Percival calms her and gives her a song that he wrote. The song is a hit, Angel becomes an overnight star, and she and Percival fall in love. Roosters's wife Zora grows tired of his cheating and moves with their children to her mother's house. Angel gets a record deal in Chicago and asks Percival to go with her, but he reluctantly declines, as he feels obligated to his father. When Angel finds out that Percival knows who she really is, she pledges her love to him and persuades him to go to Chicago. Rooster devises a plan to buy liquor from bootlegger GW and his partner. One day, as Rooster is making his rounds to pick up hooch from GW, he sees a car on the road that seems to be stuck. He approaches the car and sees an old woman, Mother Hopkins, and her grandchildren. Rooster gives them all the money he has, and Mother Hopkins tells Rooster that he is an angel, giving him a bible before he leaves. Rooster walks into the abandoned house of the two bootleggers and sees that Trumpy's henchmen have beaten up GW and killed his partner. Rooster is caught and brought to Trumpy, and GW is shot to death. During a fight between Rooster and Trumpy's henchmen, a shot at Rooster is blocked by the bible in his jacket. After Rooster escapes, Trumpy follows him to the club, where Angel and Percival have also decided to stop before going to Chicago. Rooster and Trumpy fight and, just as he is about to shoot Rooster, Percival shoots and kills Trumpy. Percival then notices that Angel has been shot and runs to her aid, though she dies shortly afterward. A grieving Percival prepares Angel for her burial, dressing her in a wedding gown and slipping a ring on her finger. Afterward, he attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself in his room, but is interrupted when Rooster rings the doorbell. Percival is consoled and gives Angel's Chicago bound-ticket to Rooster, who reunites with his wife and children. Percival then begins to make records and tour in clubs throughout America, to great success. The film ends with pictures of Percival and Angel, hung next to a picture of Percival's mother in her coffin.

Cast

as Percival "Percy" Jenkins Jr. *

as "Rooster" ** Bobb'e J. Thompson as Young "Rooster" * Paula Patton as Angel Davenport / Sally B. Shelly *

as "Trumpy" / Wilbert * Faizon Love as "Sunshine Ace" * Malinda Williams as Zora *

as Mother Hopkins *

as Monk *

as "Taffy" *

as Percival Jenkins Sr. * Paula Jai Parker as Rose *

as The Real Angel Davenport *

as "Spats" * Karen Dyer as Eva, The Fire Diva *

as G.W. *

Fonzworth Bentley Derek Watkins (born February 13, 1974), known professionally as Fonzworth Bentley, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and author. He is perhaps best known for being Sean Combs' former personal valet and assistant, as first see ...

as The Flask (voice)

Soundtrack

The musical numbers are written and performed by OutKast, with other featured performances by Macy Gray and Debra Killings, who performed the singing voice of Patton's character. The hip hop,

, and

stylings of the song score are intentionally

anachronistic An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...

, a choice made to complement the film being set in 1935. Elements of 1930s-era

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

and

jazz music Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a maj ...

are however featured prominently in many of the musical numbers. The film's dance numbers, choreographed by Hinton Battle, also feature many period dances, primarily the

Lindy Hop The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the Black communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of many danc ...

and

jitterbug Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, charleston, balboa and other swing dances. Swing danc ...

. Most of the songs in ''Idlewild'' had already been featured on the OutKast albums '' Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast'' and ''

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on September 23, 2003, by Arista Records. Issued as a double album, its length of over two hours is spread across solo albums from both ...

'', essentially making it a jukebox musical. Seven of the songs from the film, along with several unreleased songs, were released by

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

as an OutKast album entitled '' Idlewild'' at the time of the film's release.

Musical numbers

Reception

''Idlewild'' received mixed reviews from critics. , the film holds a 47% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, based on 130 reviews with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "''Idlewild'' has some truly breathtaking moments, but borrows too heavily from other similar movies, and the disjointed script is not worthy of talents involved." Peter Travers of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' said the film "can't decide if it's about bullets, booze, broads or the sound of hip-hop that the film strenuously tries to marry to the 1930s". Writing for ''

Film Journal International ''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of ''Adweek'', ''Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodicals. H ...

,''

Frank Lovece Frank Lovece () is an American journalist and author, and a comic book writer primarily for Marvel Comics, where he and artist Mike Okamoto created the miniseries ''Atomic Age''. His longest affiliation has been with the New York metropolitan ...

wrote "Seemingly meant as an African-American ''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

'', this visual blast of an homage to classic Hollywood musicals settles in as an odd hybrid, neither fish nor fowl. Nor foul, either, though not great — and ultimately, more idle than wild". Teresa Wiltz of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' likewise acknowledged director Bryan Barber's inventiveness, saying that, "For all its shortcomings, ''Idlewild'' also has something that few films can pull off: Moments of such pure cinematic fabulousness, breathtaking dance sequences and idiosyncratic flourishes that we are more than willing to forgive it for all its sins". The film grossed $12,571,185 on a $10 million budget.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{OutKast 2006 films 2006 crime drama films 2006 directorial debut films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s musical drama films African-American drama films African-American musical films American crime drama films American musical drama films Atlas Entertainment films Films about music and musicians Films about organized crime in the United States Films scored by John Debney Films set in the 1920s Films set in 1935 Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Films shot in California Films shot in North Carolina HBO Films films Jukebox musical films Universal Pictures films