Cadillac Records

Here's a musical biopic based on the founder and founding of Chess Records, and it may be the worst musical biopic I've ever seen. Too bad since it's about a great era of music. Here the music is fine, but I would have preferred the originals with actors lip-syncing. As a story, this is scattered and without focus, using the music to elicit the cheap shots of emotion along the way. Characters aren't developed, we're left with cardboard figures and the musical myths we may be bringing to the material. The reach is much too great here, and the grasp small. This story still needs telling in powerful dramatic terms.

A musician highly recommended this to me. The difference, perhaps, between musicians and screenwriters watching a musical biopic. I say no story, therefore nothing to make me care. Some good cover music, however. I'll grant that much.