Idlewild (HBO Films, R)

While Barber steeps his film in the times, he also manages to include some surreal elements that give it a slight otherworldly quality.

 

It would have seemed that, with the wild success of Chicago a few years back, a new period of splashy movie musicals had been ushered in. For all the talk that such a revolution would occur, though, Idlewild is the first film to really pick up the torch and try running with it.

Idlewild is set in a small Georgia town in the 1930s. Rooster (Antwan A. Patton) and Percival (Andre Benjamin) have been friends since childhood and now both work at the Church, a popular local night spot. Percival, the quieter of the two, plays piano in the club while waiting for a chance to follow his dream of becoming a famous musician. His spirited friend Rooster is the speakeasy's headliner who also dabbles in the illegal dealings of the club.

Movies like Idlewild have to dream big to make any impact at all. A musical period piece had better fill some serious requirements: costumes, hair and makeup, sets, music and dialogue all need to fit the story and time period to glamorous degrees. The audience should feel thrust backward, and want to stay among the curtained cabs, silk gloves, and finger waves enveloping them from the screen.

The film's musical numbers were all written and performed by the two stars, also known as the award-winning hip-hop duo OutKast. Each song does a good job of mixing the sounds of 1930s standards with heavy, hip-hop beats. There are two problems, though. Patton has a distinctively dense way with words while rapping, but his style completely overwhelms the melding of musical styles. His smooth, fast, wordy rap is just too much for the trumpets, saxophones and piano strikes here. I found myself enjoying the music, and then once Patton started in, paying so much attention to his verbiage that the chords simply drifted away. Anyone who's heard Benjamin "sing" on an OutKast song knows that his definition of the term is very loose. In this stylized world, it plainly doesn't fit. The most glaring example of this is shown during the closing credits. It's obvious in this final performance that Benjamin needs to stick to rap, and that makes it funny, though not intentionally so.

First-time feature director Bryan Barber has done an amazing job of combining all the glorious elements of the time. The Church, her patrons, and employees look exactly like you'd imagine a southern speakeasy to look. While Barber steeps his film in the times, he also manages to include some surreal elements that give it a slight otherworldly quality. A few of these things go a long way, but in this case even more would have been nice to tie those strange ingredients together. Being a music video director really sharpened Barber's eye for filming the wildly energetic dance numbers as well. You can see every move and still get a sense of the insane movement and energy on the floor.

The performances are all solid. Newcomers work along side veteran performers such as Ben Vereen, Ving Rhames and Cicely Tyson. Patton and Benjamin are good as the leads and I wouldn't be surprised if we continue to see them onscreen for years to come. They each have the natural charisma you'd expect from chart-topping rappers and actually know how to translate that magnetism into strong film performances.

My only sticking point is the story. There's nothing wrong with it on its face, but it also could have been better. Understandably, lots of time and exertion went into the look and liveliness of the film, but it would have been over-the-top amazing if the story weren't so predictable.

That, though, is a minor point for Idlewild. You will get caught up in the music. The dancing will make you move in your seat. You'll want, for a short time, to live in this fanciful time and place. This is what's best about Idlewild, it takes you somewhere you didn't even know you wanted to go.