The script, co-written by Cheadle and Steven Baigelman (the latter co-wrote Get On Up), invents a 1979 Rolling Stone reporter (played by Ewan McGregor, most recently in The Impossible) and a "caper," which, McGregor said in Rolling Stone in March, Davis might have liked. We also meet Davis' wife Frances, played with great depth by Emayatzy Corinealdi (her breakthrough role was in Middle of Nowhere (2012) which I wanted to see but did not) in some of the 1950s scenes. Frances' photograph is on the album Somewhere My Prince Will Come, and it's recreated in the movie with Corinealdi's. Also featured is the reliable Michael Stuhlbarg (last in Trumbo) as a slimy record company guy.
While researching this post, I learned that Cheadle crowd-funded the project on indiegogo. I wish I had known! The total raised before it closed was about $344k, which is listed on wikipedia as the budget. As of today, the movie has made over two million dollars (check this link for the latest). Did I mention I wish I had known? Investors are probably among the concert goers in the final scene (see below). Sony Pictures is the distributor.
Of course, the soundtrack is awesome. I bought it on iTunes (it's easier to sample the tracks on amazon, however) because I owned only five of its 16 musical tracks (eight album tracks are dialogue--twenty songs were listed in the closing credits but I don't know what's missing). Amazon is selling it as mp3 downloads, CD, and vinyl. Four tracks on the album are by composer Robert Glasper, in his feature debut. A notable musical sequence is the concert scene over the end credits, when Cheadle, in character as Miles, plays a concert with jazz greats Herbie Hancock (earlier in the movie an actor portrays Hancock in several sessions), Wayne Shorter, and Esperanza Spalding. Someone had posted on imdb's Goofs page that Cheadle's vest, which said #socialmusic, was an anachronism. I petitioned to remove it from the goofs (and was successful--none remain as of this writing) because it's clear to me from both the vest and the musicians that the session is not supposed to be historical.
Frances' and Miles' children Cheryl and Erin (the latter is a son) are among the 29 producers (29 is close, but no cigar, in my producers plethora prize. Here's a search). The movie is featured on milesdavis.com, demonstrating their approval and commitment.
Shot almost entirely in Cincinnati with cinematographer Roberto Schaefer (some of my favorites of his work include Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), Finding Neverland (2004), Stranger than Fiction (2006), The Kite Runner (2007), and the pictures in The Paperboy) behind the camera, the movie goes from film noir to action picture to the bio-pic we were expecting. Ending with Miles' birthdate, May 26, 1926, printed on the screen followed by a dash, it leads us to believe that he is still alive, which he is not. He died on September 28, 1991 at 65 after a stroke and more.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are on the tepid side, averaging 71 and 72% respectively. It's still showing in one theatre where I live and the estimated DVD release is July of this year. We say if you didn't love this you weren't paying attention.
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