Idlewild (film)

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Movie
German title Idlewild
Original title Idlewild
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2006
length 121 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Bryan Barber
script Bryan Barber
production Charles Roven ,
Robert Guralnick
music John Debney ,
OutKast
camera Pascal Rabaud
cut Anne Goursaud
occupation

Idlewild is the name of a musical film released in 2006 , the leading roles of which are played by André Benjamin and Antwan Patton , better known as OutKast . The film premiered on August 25, 2006 in the United States , while in Germany it did not open until November 23.

Idlewild is also the name of the accompanying film soundtrack by the US rap duo , which serves as the official successor to Speakerboxxx / The Love Below .

About the film

Idlewild is the first feature film from music video director Bryan Barber, who previously worked with OutKast, including for the videos of Hey Ya! and roses . Barbers' idea of ​​making a film with Benjamin and Patton has existed since 1994 and became more concrete at the time Aquemini was released with a request to MTV , but the possible producers doubted the duo's “star power” and wanted the lead roles rather given to Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott . It was only after the success of Speakerboxxx / The Love Below that filming began in July 2004. As some of the songs for the album belonging to the film were not yet finished, the release date for Idlewild was postponed from spring to August.

action

The film is set in the fictional town of Idlewild, Georgia during the Great Depression and Prohibition in the United States .

Childhood friends Percival and Rooster moved in two different directions as adults. While Rooster is familiar with illegal activities as the manager and entertainer of the wicked juke joint "The Church", the shy Percival works in his father's funeral home , but also as a pianist on performances by Rooster in "The Church". He has long dreamed of being able to play his own songs there, but his father keeps him from doing it. Only when he met the nationally known singer Angel Davenport, who encouraged him to realize his dreams, and fell in love with her, his ambitions began to rise. Meanwhile, Ace, the owner of the club, has problems with the Prohibitions mafia and is shot by gangster Trumpy. Rooster is then the owner of the club and blackmailed by Trumpy. To get some quick money, he lets Angel perform in "The Church".

music

The soundtrack of the film consists largely of songs by the rap group OutKast. One song is from Big Boi and Dre Present… OutKast , as well as six songs each from Speakerboxxx / The Love Below and Idlewild . The pieces combine styles such as jazz , swing and ragtime with modern hip-hop . Otherwise you can hear some songs by jazz singer Cab Calloway .

reception

The film received mostly negative, if not "devastating", reviews. Most reviews criticize the unimaginative plot, but the musical elements are praised, as well as the acting, the soundtrack and the staging.

“André 3000 and Big Boi do their job well and are not the problem in this film, whose wealth of detail and ideas as well as unrestrained musicality are far more fascinating than the extremely thin and predictable story, which unfortunately treads all too well-trodden paths. (...) A gigantic video clip with a lot of spectacular viewing values, which as a film with a compelling story cannot convince. "

- kino-zeit.de

“Well-known patterns of action are lined up and do not offer the viewer much new. But 'Idlewild' has other advantages: With a surprisingly imaginative staging, beautiful picture compositions and an excellent soundtrack, Bryan Barber's strip collects a number of plus points. A lot is delivered here for the eye as well as for the ear, which quickly makes the viewer happy and satisfied. "

- Moviesection.de

“Fatal (…) that Outkast also left the scriptwriting to their director. 'Idlewild' sometimes gets badly out of sync, despite witty camera gimmicks and a rousing mix of jazz, swing, blues , boogie , ragtime and a pinch of hip-hop. The story embedded in musical numbers is too convoluted (...) What remains is a thoroughly charming musical declaration of love to the southern states of the USA. It's just a shame that it is performed as an extra-long music clip. "

- cinema.de

Spiegel.de, on the other hand, praises Idlewild because the plot of the film is of secondary importance from the start. His production, which links the past with the present, is compared to the musical Chicago :

“The New York Times accused director Bryan Barber of a lack of narration and too many visual gimmicks. 'Idlewild' doesn't want to be a consistent narrative at all - it's about impressions in which epochs and styles collide, not about differentiating historical connections. "

At the Black Reel Awards 2007 the film and the soundtrack were nominated in five categories, but could not win any of the prizes.

At the box office, too, Idlewild was a flop: The revenue of $ 12 million is set against $ 25 million in production costs. In Germany , the film was only shown for a very short time in very few cinemas due to its lack of success.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Approval certificate for Idlewild . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2006 (PDF; test number: 107 637 K).
  2. ↑ Review on MovieMaze
  3. ^ "'Kasting director" ( Memento from February 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), August 16, 2006
  4. ^ A b Del F. Cowie: OutKast Brothers From Another Planet. In: exclaim! September 1, 2006, accessed August 15, 2019 .
  5. ↑ 3sat .de: "Outkast conquers the cinema"
  6. ↑ Review on kino-zeit.de
  7. ↑ Kathrin Lang: Idlewild. In: Moviesection. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016 ; accessed on August 15, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Idlewild. In: Cinema . Hubert Burda Media , accessed on August 15, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Review on spiegel.de , November 22, 2006
  10. ↑ Review on cineastentreff.de ( Memento from October 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ Review on artechock.de