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Derek Malcolm's rating
Gunplay, gangs and gals
By
Derek Malcolm
12 Oct 2006
A dramatic musical set against the backdrop of a Thirties speakeasy, Idlewild is a very strange affair.
The music's written by André Benjamin and Antwan A Patton, better known as André 3000 and Big Boi of hip-hop outfit OutKast, who also take the principal parts.
Percival (Benjamin) is a mortician with an overbearing dad who doubles as the speakeasy's piano player; he falls in love with Angel (Paula Patton), the club's young singer. Antwan A Patton plays Rooster, the manager who gets involved with a nasty crook called Trumpy (Terrence Howard, Oscar-nominated for his striking performance in Hustle and Flow).
There's as much gunplay as music in the film, and not a policeman or a white man in sight - unless you count the railway ticket man on screen for a few seconds or so. The result is often lively, even if the music has nothing to do with any Thirties style.
But Bryan Barber, the OutKast music video chief, who wrote and directs, seems to have little grip on his narrative. The result is frequently all over the place and the film becomes a patchwork quilt of thriller, romance, drama and, I'm afraid, of dullness, too.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (1)
Why did Derek Malacolm have to comment on the fact that there were no white people in Idlewind? Does the lack of white people make it less of a film? I have seen numerous films with no black people.
- Horace, UK, 13/10/2006 13:26
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