Ignorant Movie Review: Idlewild

Response to title: The OutKast musical! Having been a listener since 1994’s Southernplayalisticadillacmuzic, this movie isn’t an ignorance borne surprise. I first heard about this album/movie concept on Sound Opinions and have been looking forward to it ever since.

Response to curbside poster: A rooster on a microphone; an allusion to waking us all up?

Response post-credits: I’m all kinds of torn about this movie. While I usually loathe musicals, I think this film is great, but, I also found myself stuttering through some major continuity issues. Set in 1930’s Idlewild, Michigan, the movie takes the audience, and the musical genre, into Black America’s prohibition era underground infused with an aural marriage of jazz and hip-hop. The allegories are stunning, delivering bright flashes of jazz’s freedom to a world filled with the certainty of death and lies. Without ever seeming overdone the film deftly ties the symbolism of slavery to those of death, time, desire, the past and even individual talents and skills. Perhaps it's this richness of subject matter at the root of my perceived continuity issues as well, as that’s a full plate to deliver in a two hour cinematic experience. On multiple occasions I found myself wondering “how does this fit?” and “why this, why now?”. All-in-all, though, the film is a worthwhile visual and aural trip using a familiar American medium to address unfamiliar American cinema subject matter.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Oly Stubbies.

Film Haiku: Butterfly graveyard
               “chronomentophobia”
                   piano jazz tune.

Can be seen:  Olympia Film Society
                         206 5th Ave N
                     Olympia, WA  98501

             Tuesday, December 5th, 6:30pm
             Wednesday, December 6th, 9pm
            Thursday, December 7th, 6:30pm