A NATION TAKEN BY MUSICAL STORM- CHART TOPPING HITS!

Features Acotrs:Cedric The Entertainer,Jeffrey Wright,Eamonn Walker, Columbus Short,Beyonce Knowles,Adrien Brody.
Running Time:108 Min.
Rating:R

Cadillac Records chronicles the birth of Chicago blues and the subsequent impetus to the breakout popular recorded music in the 1950s. And, a concurrent racial and musical cross-pollination that was rock 'n roll.
Darnell gets the sounds just right, miraculously from actors making their own music. But the storytelling is another matter, a distracting weakness not helped by doing on screen explanatory damage control via voiceovers by Cedric The Entertainer, as barely realized blues musician and songwriter Willie Dixon. And as key dramatic sequences are more often than not described rather than enacted, or conveyed as over the top whining rather than emotionally compelling, the weaker, shrill narrative rhythms of the story fail to harmonize and pale in comparison to the music.

Adrien Brody is Leonard Chess in Cadillac Records, a Jewish immigrant and Chicago nightclub owner turned music promoter who was a key figure in integrating what was once known shamefully as 'race music.' A shrewd wheeler dealer businessman, Chess is unaware when he recruits struggling, uprooted Mississippi sharecropper street musician Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), that his proposed financial arrangement with this genius guitarist would be historic.
As the Chess music business expands from recording to radio and the experimental explosive sounds evolve with the addition of Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Little Walter (Columbus Short) and Etta James (Beyonce Knowles), the nation is taken by musical storm. And racial barriers seem to come tumbling down with segregated mental mindsets and government decrees lagging far behind, though not without terror and tragedy in its wake.

Hope this helps you decide.Thanks for reading! :)

Re-enactment of Blues, R&B, Rock Roll History

I am a blues fan and of course I loved the track. All the actors and actresses were fantastic. Is there anything that Beyonce cant sing?

To get more of the story, Id recommend watching the directors commentary if you enjoy music history. It is more than just how the movie was made. It is about the why it was made and the history of the musicians who were key figures in shaping American Music and the British invasion.

The movie centers on Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James and one of the Chess brothers. In one of the recording scenes there is a surprise for guitar players and blues fans. It was so cool to see Hubert Sumlin playing right beside the actor who was playing him. The actor who was playing Mr Sumlin was watching him closely while the track was played.

If you love music, especially Blues, R&B, and rock music, this is a must see movie.

Cadillac records B+

I love all of the music in the movie and most of the performances. I think that they did the best they could in trying to tie together all the story lines of a huge cast of characters. It can also be a little too simplistic with the summaries of events. For example, I don't think that Chuck Berry's concerts and records directly resulted in instant integration of the races. Also, there is not enough age progression shown on behalf of most of the characters. Muddy Waters looks no older from when he arrived in Chicago than from at the end of the movie which should be about 15-20 years later, the same goes for Adrien Brody, Gabrielle Union, and Cedric the Entertainer. My only other problem is the long and boring parts of the movie featuring the subtle love interest between Beyonce's Etta James and Adrian Brody's Leonard Chess. Not only is it extremely unlikely but it drags the movie on a different path for far too long. Leaving us waiting for more scenes with Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Chuck Berry. I think that this is a good movie for the music fans, but people with little patience for poor Beyonce performances will grow tired of it at times.

Perfect Title

Although I have not received my ordered movie yet, I need not wait until receiving it as I have looked at this movie a "million times." That is how much I love it.
The music is moving, the actors are superb and perfect in their performance of depicting the characters of the time period and in demonstrating their natural talents. Most (characters) took advantage of opportunities to show off their material goods, such as cars and clothing, to woo the ladies or get whatever else they could get into without regard to the future. That is how many of them got their fame, but in actuality became failures in their personal lives and their future. However, we love them and their music. They were the greats that brought us to the music that we so love and enjoy today. Who does not like the music of Muddy Waters, Etta James, the Howling Wolf...and songs life Maybeline, etc., and other greats with their music featured in this film. The music alone makes the movie so fun-loving; not to mention the excellent cast. I highly recommend seeing this movie if you like moving music to sing and dance to that will last for ages to come, and seeing some of your favorite musicians, actors, and singers, and even newbies.

When America created a New Sound!

A must have for any Rock and Roll, Blues, R&B fan...or simply for anybody who likes contemporatry music...
A very intellignet film, explaining the rise of electric Blues, Rock and Roll and R&B...when I was watching it it felt like opening a time window and observing an era long gone...race/music/alcohol/sex/​drugs/talent/lots of talent/Cadillacs make for an interesting mix of raw talent and new sounds!
The actors make you forget they're actors and you have the feeling to be in front of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf and Etta james...it is a movie so there are some shortcuts, but if you want to understand where this kind of music comes from, what struggles the original actors/performers went through, go ahead and buy it...you won't be disappointed! and you get an extra bonus in living an important part of American history, the 60's!!!! Enjoy...