Cadillac Records

It must be apparent in this day and age, but growing up I had no idea that Led Zeppelin stole "Whole Lotta Love" from Willie Dixon and that the Beach Boys, ah, appropriated "Sweet Little Sixteen" from Chuck Berry for their hit "Surfin' USA." Both Berry (Mos Def) and Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) are portrayed in Cadillac Records, the story of Chess Records. With a narrative told in voice-over by Dixon the film weaves a documentary style recounting of the record company with Adrien Brody at the center as founder Leonard Chess.
Brody's Chess has his own way of stacking the deck that includes burning down his nightclub for the insurance money to start a recording studio and record label. The behavior of Chess's top artists, like Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Howlin' Wolf (Eammon Walker), and Little Walter (Columbus Short) runs the gamut from murder to womanizing and when Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) signs up add drug addiction. Knowles has been taking acting lessons because she's stealing scenes here. Walker demonstrates an amazing ability to channel Wolf's musical genius while Def is a dead ringer for Berry. Wright, as always, demonstrates acting moves that show his versatility. Wright's diction may remind some of Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder.
Chess takes money from Peter to pay Paul and nobody seems to mind. The topic of artist equality is briefly touched upon but the movie really wants to concentrate on the legacy of music that these brilliant musicians created.
Director Darnell Martin has been working mostly in television since her early feature I Like it Like That in 1994, but Cadillac Records shows her to be the equal if not capable of greater reach than other femme helmers like Kimberly Peirce or Catherine Hardwicke. With its unblinking evocation of the 50s and 60s music scene and a sense of fair play in showing the artists warts and all Cadillac Records is bound to inspire a new generation to discover the blues.