I have always been skeptical of musicians that attempt to make the crossover to making films. Some have a little bit better luck than others. Ice Cube has had a long and successful film career. Jon Bon Jovi, not so much. It is truly something that is hit or miss.
I was both skeptical and excited when I discovered that the very talented duo of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, better known as Outkast, were making a film together. I was even more enamored when I heard that their film, titled Idlewild, would include a soundtrack completely composed by one of my favorite musical pairings of all time. But that skepticism still lingered.
Set in 1920s Georgia, Idlewild tells the story of two friends as they grow up and try to survive in a world of bootlegging, womanizing, music, and mobsters. Percival (Andre Benjamin) is the soft-spoken, musically gifted piano player by night and mortician by day who yearns to find his destiny and take care of his aging father (Ben Vereen).
Rooster (Antwan A. Patton, aka Big Boi) is the reckless, money-minded character of the pair, always out to score a quick dollar or a lovely lady, all while providing for his wife and five kids. When the owner of the club where Percy and Rooster play their gigs is slain, Rooster is forced to take over the business and contend with a smooth, stone cold gangster (Terrence Howard) who wants control of the entire town.
As the story unfolds, we are introduced to some excellent supporting characters that inhabit this world of Idlewild. Most notably is the performance from Terrence Howard, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors.
Howard's performance is precisely executed as the cold-hearted and arrogant Trumpy, a character who holds the audience’s interest throughout a film that is arduous at best.
The film starts very slowly and gets more lethargic as it rolls on toward the 90-minute mark. It was surprising to me afterward to see the film was not three hours long, because it certainly felt that long.
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Article comments
1 - gina
i was disappointed to find that the idlewild soundtrack features almost none of the songs from the movie. that said, can someone please tell me the name of the song playing during the sex scene with percival and angel?
2 - Jim Gleeson
My problem with this movie is that it never seems to quite find it's footing. Is it a musical? Is it a drama/period piece? Say what you want about Moulin Rouge, but it established early in the movie that it was a musical set in France that was adapting pop music to it and...it worked. This one kind of seems to want to do that, but doesn't quite get there. At times I was smirking because it seemed so campy that Andre would be singing along with a bunch of cgi clocks. The flask also became an annoyance. I wish they gave it a different voice; maybe, I say maybe Foghorn Leghorn.
When you see Andre soar in "Be Cool" it was difficult to watch this more subdued performance in this movie. He finally came out of his shell during the end credits though. If only there had been more of that.
3 - Julie
Wow, I thought this movie was fantastic! It was fun fun fun - nothing too serious and exuding a lot of joy for life and the art of having a good time. It takes you away on a fun filled throw back to the 1930s. So what if it's not accurate or misses the mark in terms of nailing down its genre? It was an enjoyable and light escape for those of us who want a little bit of everything, music, violence, love, dance...but nothing too gratuitous. The music was great, especially if you managed to pay attention to Rooster's lyrics (which can be difficult since the amazing choreography is happening simultaneously).
4 - KiKi
Can anyone tell me the name of the song that Angel Davenport (PAula Patton) performs in the movie?
5 - erin
the song playing in the sex scene is "take off your cool"...it was on "the love below" cd
6 - Niecy
I too would like to know the song Angel Davenport was singing. I only found out that she was lip-syncing to Erykah Badu's voice.
7 - Patrick Stieding
I would like to know the name of the song that Rooster performs during his first apperence on stage. I can't find it on the soundtrack, I think it is the same one from the first half of the Trailer, can someone please help me!?
8 - Lyles
The name of the song that Rooster first performed was "Bowtie" by Big Boi f/ Sleep Brown on the "SpeakerBoxx" LP.
The name of the song performed by Angel is "Movin Cool (The Afterparty)" on the "Big Boi and Andre presents....Outkast" greatest hits album.
9 - Terri
The Songs are from previous soundtracks!! "The Love Below" and "Speakerboxx"
10 - Lisa
I would like to know the name of the song that Andre is singing after Angel died, she's lying on the lab table in his morgue. The chorus words are "she is in my lab". Maybe that's the name of the song? I really like that song, does anyone know where I can find that song? Is it on a previous cd because it's not on the soundtrack.
11 - FaShizzle
Lisa, that song is "She lives in my lap" - one of the first singles off of the Speakerboxxx/Love Below album.
12 - Nadette
what is the title of the first song sung by macy gray? and the two songs andree 3000 sings in the end credits. words cannot express how pissed i am that none of the songs from the movie are on the idlewild sountrack, with the exception of their older songs from the albums that i already own! how they just gonna put these awesome songs in the movie and not put any of them on the sountrack?
13 - B. Marie
it's "movin cool" not "take off your cool" and it is on Big Boi and Dre Present...OutKast.
14 - Michael White
I wanna know the song at the end of the movie that andre 3000 sung when he had on the spats suit. It went like "aint nobody!!". Some one please, please tell me
15 - Cora
I just caught the very last credits of the movie and their was a song playing. I've been trying to find the song but I have had no luck.
It went something like.
"I'm a fan in the stands, singing aye bay bay, singing aye bay bay", and then "Don't go, please dont go".
I'd really like to know the artist and the name of the song.
Thank You.
16 - Brandon
everybody the song at the end that andre sings in idlewild is pj and rooster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17 - danielle
there are two different songs..."take off your cool" which is on "the love below" cd which is sung by andre 3000 and norah jones and is also played when andre and angel are having sex. but the other song "moving cool" is the song that angel davenport sung when she made her debut!