After the success of "Dreamgirls," it appears that films chronicling the rise and fall of record labels and their artists are going to be the new trend. Despite the fact that the incredibly overrated "Dreamgirls" received all the Oscar buzz, "Cadillac Records," while still not a great piece of work, is the better film. "Cadillac Records" follows Leonard Chess, the creator of "Chess Records." In his quest to take advantage of all that America has to offer, he signs the best blues artists he can find on the streets of Chicago, and due to his ear for talent and a great sound, shoots "Chess Records" and its artists to the top of the charts. The label changes its name to "Cadillac Records" because they're so successful that "if you work there long enough, you'll get one." Chess buys all his artists Cadillac's, and they in turn bring him hit records. As they become more famous, they become more reckless with their lives, ruining their families and their careers.
Despite this film being based on a real label and real people, it is incredibly predictable. The story progresses in standard Hollywood fashion: Man starts label, finds unknown artists, makes them famous, they all have fun at the top, they become corrupt, and they fall from grace. The thing that keeps this film from being ordinary Hollywood drivel is the characters. They are interesting, entertaining, and all very well portrayed. Though they will receive little attention, the majority of the performances were top notch. Columbus Short steals the show as Little Walter, a fiery and passionate harmonica player with a slick mouth and an alcohol problem - not a good combination. Short, of "Stomp the Yard" fame, is nothing short of phenomenal. He does an amazing job of showing Walter's progression from the streets - he carries a gun on him at all times - to fame, his corruption from money and power, and finally, his deterioration because of alcohol and how it all causes him to hit rock bottom as an old man. Jeffrey Wright is also very watchable as Muddy Waters, as is Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess. Beyonce, in a misleadingly small role, is good as well when she is on screen as Etta James.
The film suffers greatly, however, from plot holes and unexplained events that happen in large gaps of time. Chess opens the film on the cusp or marrying one woman, then the next time we see him with a woman, it's a brand new woman and she is apparently his wife. Where did she come from? He's also incredibly faithful to her, despite the fact that she literally appears out of nowhere. We don't even see him meet her. Then, after Beyonce's character, Etta James, is finally introduced, despite her and Chess having literally no interaction, all of a sudden they're in love! She's crying as she sings to him. Didn't you just meet him in the last scene? How are we supposed to believe this love, with no prior evidence of it being built? There are also large gaps in time that, would they have been filled with some back story, the film could have been a little stronger. Chess goes from broke and destitute to buying a club. Where'd he get the money? How'd he end up in Chicago? Who goes from being broke in one scene, to buying a club in the next? If only that sort of instant success happened in real life! The movie makes it seem as if a lot of aspects of Chess' life instantly went from horrible to luxurious.
The filmmakers know that they're working with a film with few, but large, flaws. They attempt to cover this up and get people to come see the movie by passing Beyonce off as the headliner. She's all through the trailer, she's on all the posters, her name is all over the screen in the commercials - but her character isn't even introduced until nearly an hour and a half into the movie. Had the target audience known this, far fewer people would have gone to see the film. This is not to say that the movie is hurt due to a lack of Beyonce, it is just that one can feel very misled after seeing the film, and that makes the flaws more noticeable.
Despite the flaws, though, this film is still entertaining and interesting, thanks to the interesting characters and great performances. It's a shame that if you're not Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, or (for whatever reason) Jennifer Hudson, you don't seem to get much Oscar consideration. He doesn't deserve to win, but Columbus Short was exceptional in this film, and he can't even get his name on the poster or any attention because he briefly had to share the screen with Beyonce; they only have one scene together. The treatment of "divas" in the entertainment business is really becoming quite shameful and loathsome. "Cadillac Records" isn't the best film, but it's worth a couple hours and a couple of bucks if you're looking for a movie to see on a weekend night.
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