Respect (2021)

We loved the official--sanctioned by the Queen of Soul herself--biopic of Aretha Franklin with Jennifer Hudson kicking ass in the lead role of Franklin from pre-teenhood until 1972 (she was 30). Hudson is ably supported by Forest Whitaker as Aretha's father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin; Marlon Wayans as her husband Ted White; Tituss Burgess as gospel conductor James Cleveland; Audra McDonald as her mother Barbara; Marc Maron as producer Jerry Wexler; Skye Dakota Turner as young Aretha; Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington; Kelvin Hair as Sam Cooke; and so many more.

At 2:25 it's too long but still wonderful for those of us who grew up with her music as well as you whippersnappers who found it later.

Of course the movie was on my radar but listening to Marc Maron's WTF podcast interview with director Liesl Tommy sealed the deal. Tracey Scott Wilson wrote the screenplay and co-wrote the story with Callie Khouri. Nice that the top jobs on this picture went to women.

Kris Bowers is credited with the original score (I'm listening on Apple Music with my subscription) but you're unlikely to remember it when there are so many classic vocal songs, many of which are listed here. 

Shout out to costume designer Clint Ramos for the marvelous wardrobe.

I have watched one episode of the Nat Geo series about Aretha starring Cynthia Erivo, another terrific singer. It's good and some of the story is different, and I realized that I'd better get this one posted before watching any more of the series so as not to conflate the two.

Hudson was last blogged for Chi-Raq, Whitaker for Black Panther, Wayans for On the Rocks, McDonald for Beauty and the Beast, Burgess for Dolemite Is My Name, Maron for Sword of Trust, Blige for Mudbound, and Bowers United States v. Billie Holiday. This is Turner's second role and the kid has got pipes. Hair has been in one other feature.

Tommy and Wilson make their feature debuts after directing and writing, respectively, some TV episodes. Khouri, the Oscar-winning writer of Thelma & Louise (1991), also wrote Something to Talk About (1995), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), and 8 episodes of the long-running series Nashville, which she created. 

Rotten Tomatoes' critics don't, to paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, give this no respect, averaging only 66%, while its audiences loved it, coming in at 95. We rented it on iTunes on September 1.

In closing, let me give you an earworm: my friend Kim's mother thought the song was R-E-S-P-Beasley Street. Try to forget that!