I’m still in the midst of completing my review of Leos Carax’s “Annette,” which I saw a few weeks ago. I’ve held back all this time due to wanting to watch it again, at least before I can assemble a conclusive opinion on the film. That means my writeup of Leisl Tommy and Jennifer Hudson‘s Respect (8.13.21) will have to wait a few days.
“Respect” is a mildly okay Aretha Franklin biopic, but with an excellent lead performance from Hudson, and her singing is quite something here. She does the “Queen of Soul” proud. The word “conventional” comes to mind when thinking of this biopic, it goes along just fine, but you’re never really lifted up in the same way a great Aretha songs would spiritually heal.
Its mediocre 63% Metacritic rating seems about right. I was never really bored, nor was I ever exhilarated. Kind of like how I felt when I watched the equally conventional biopics for Johnny Cash (“I Walk the Line”) and Ray Charles (“Ray”). Give me Taylor Hackford’s chaotically surreal James Brown biopic (“Get on Up”) any day of the week — at least that movie tried something new and it was also the best performance of Chadwick Boseman’s career.
An Oscar nomination probably awaits Hudson, this is far and away her best performance since “Dreamgirls.”