Respect

Jennifer Hudson and Forrest Whittaker give wonder performances. Liked this movie way more than I thought I would.

Two and a half hours of disjointed scenes, forced emotions, and awkward dialogue. I loved JH'a voice, but this movie felt like a very long and drawn-out church play with lots of singing. The characters were underdeveloped and we don't really learn enough about her life.... What happened when she was pregnant as a child, what happened so her relationship with Mary H Blige'a character, etc. Too many unanswered questions.... Just meh for me.

As far as I'm concerned the only diva that ever existed was Aretha Franklin. Jennifer Hudson was the perfect choice to portray Aretha. I was moved to tears both by Jennifer's performance and the difficult experiences Aretha had to overcome. If Jennifer Hudson does not get an award for this I will be very surprised and saddened.

I went to see this film today and was really excited, but this film didn't deliver what I thought it would. Jennifer Hudson is phenomenal as Aretha Franklin, she has an incredible voice and portrayed her really well. But there wasn't too much plot to follow, and if you're gonna put Mary J. In a biopic about Aretha, make her do more, she pretty much appeared and disappeared. Also, Marlon Wayans could've been better, the scene in the hotel where he keeps calling that guy a redneck felt tacked on and cringey. This film is also way too long, at least 20 minutes could've been cut, the opening was way too stretched out and the church scene was the same. In the end respect was a bit of a disappointment, and I'm gonna give it a C+

Respect (2021) is a movie we saw in theatres last weekend. The movie focuses on the upbringing of Aretha Franklin and the challenges of working with her father and some life experiences that haunted her for her entire life. It also shows challenges she had with her first husband who was abusive and often interfered with her business decisions. It concludes with her evolution as a artist, person and activist. This movie is directed by Liesl Tommy (episodes of Jessica Jones and The Walking Dead) and stars Jennifer Hudson (Dream Girls), Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Audra McDonald (Beauty and the Beast), Marlon Wayans (White Chicks) and Tituss Burgess (Dolemite is My Name). The storyline was very PG-13 and not detailed enough. The history of C. L. Franklin and those Saturday Night sex parties and how that likely led to events in this movie was glossed over. It also showed zero interactions with her children, the nature of her relationships with their father, who they thought the first father really was, etc. A lot of those inner demons and struggles led to her drinking issues and all of that is glossed over because the film lacked the depth of her past. There's an Aretha Franklin series with Cynthia Erivo that shares the deeper backstories. I'd recommend giving that a shot. This is worth watching, as Hudson is very good in executing what she was asked to deliver. She should be very proud of this performance. The cinematography, her attire and the settings are well done. I'm not sure I loved the casting of Marlon Wayans. Forest Whitaker was an okay C. L. Lewis; but again, he was toned down. Overall I think this is a PG-13 storyline that could have been delivered with more details and depth. It could have been a masterpiece. Instead they decided to jump over the details and get into her marriage and recording career. It took the air out of the ball and caused the film to fall flat. I'd score this a 6/10.

I got to be an extra for this film when it was being made and Jennifer Hudson was so kind. The movie turned out great and Jennifer literally brought Aretha Franklin back to life. Everyone in the theater applauded at the end of the film it was that good. It it worth seeing.

Jennifer Hudson is an excellent actress, and I always thought she would be a great choice to portray Aretha Franklin. It would be no easy task to fully portray Franklin's legacy on screen in an authentic manner, but after having seen the film early at a Fandango advance screening, I'm happy to say that she succeeded. Hudson's acting range is potent and profound. She is able to clearly convey passion, empathy, and emotional challenges where appropriate in the film's narrative. The film attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of most of Franklin's life, from her challenging early childhood until the 1970s, but primarily focuses on the mid-to-late 60s and early 70s. Its narrative structure is a bit choppy and awkwardly paced, although it should be noted that (to state the obvious) no individual's life depicted in a biopic can fit completely neatly into the conventional three-act Hollywood film structure. To state the obvious, Hudson's leading performance is the true crown jewel of the film. The film does a great job at humanizing Aretha Franklin, while still showing her emotional and substance-related struggles in a realistic way. Supporting performances in the film are quite strong as well. Particularly notable are Forest Whitaker giving a commanding and powerful performance as Franklin's father, and Marlon Wayans portraying her violent, self-centered husband. Hudson's singing voice is great as well, and her performances of songs such as "Respect," "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," and "Amazing Grace" are superb. Despite the exceptional acting talent on display in the film, "Respect" sometimes waddles a bit too much in formulaic and conventional tropes of biopics. The film sometimes comes off as playing it a bit too safe, and shies away from taking any noteworthy creative risks that could have had greater stakes or emotional impact within the context of the viewing experience. At about 2.5 hours, it runs a bit too long, and there's definitely about 30 minutes worth of scenes in here that do not add much to the overall narrative and could easily have been cut. That said, an awards-worthy lead performance makes the film generally a solid one. Recommended. 7/10.

It appeared like a Lifetime movie. It focused on her trauma more than her talents. The development of the movie was poorly executed. What a waste of production and $10 movie ticket. I think Jennifer Hudson wasn't the best actress for this role. She appeared like she was playing as Jennifer Hudson and not Aretha Franklin. This makes a good church movie. I wish they went rated R, maybe it would've been more realistic.

Kind of a disappointment, and I was waiting for this. Franklin was the mother of all divas, she even put Koko Taylor to shame in that respect... and you really don't get that defining part of her personality. I think they were trying to make her a sympathetic character... and that sort of white washed a lot of who she was as a character. She was a heck of a singer, she will forever have her place in blues history, but the Aretha Franklin we see on screen is not Aretha Franklin. This was more Martha Reeves with Aretha Franklin's life and music. And that doesn't really work, at least not for people that love Franklin's music enough to know about her as an individual.