When André Benjamin and Antwan A. Patton were in high school, the love of music brought them together to form Outkast, one of the most successful and original hip-hop duos to emerge from Atlanta's dirty south hip-hop scene. Or anywhere else. And because art imitates life in music, the same can be said in film now that the two have co-produced and starred in their very first feature film, “Idlewild,” a musical unlike any other.
Brilliantly filmed and written by veteran Outkast music video director Bryan Barber, the film takes place in 1930s Idlewild, Georgia. But don’t let the time period fool you. It's both juke joint and modern night club, both jazz and hip-hop, both swing and crump. And it’s fantabulous.
Antwan (best known as Big Boi) plays Rooster, a bootlegging, womanizing, headlining rapper (yes, “rapper”) at Church, a clearly unholy speakeasy. André (best known as André 3000) plays his childhood friend, Percival, a shy piano player following in the footsteps of his mortician father, Mr. Jenkins, played by none other than Ben Vereen.
Suffering from chronomentrophobia, the fear of clocks, Percy sleeps in a room aesthetically filled with backup singing cuckoo clocks. When high maintenance singer Angel Davenport (Paula Patton) blows into town one night, Percy perceptibly discovers something to wake him up.
In the same night, a second fiddle gangster named Trumpy (played by Terence Howard) comes to Church to bully his way into power, directly effecting Rooster’s livelihood. And therein lies our plot. No, “plots.” Two friends. One finds love. The other battles a menacing villain. And one storyline doesn’t really seem to intersect much with the other. Kinda like Outkast’s last album. No, double album.
On a social level, films like “Idlewild” are a very good thing. And a very rare thing. It's not often period films are made with an entirely black cast. And, seemingly, André and Big Boi seem to be doing for cinema what so many black filmmakers continuously try to do: portray blacks as tangible people, not simply entertainers.
Despite a few minor plot holes, watching the film is comparable to watching a very entertaining and stylish two-hour music video. Reminiscent of “The Wiz” and in the spirit of fusing old with new as Baz Luhrman did with “Moulin Rouge,” Bryan Barber, André and Big Boi have managed to successfully do the same with black pop culture.
Possibly bridging all generational gaps with various black music styles, “Idlewild” also incorporates a barrage of black talent with cameos by Ving Rhames, Patti Labelle, Macy Gray, Faizon Love and Cicely Tyson.
But can André and Big Boi act?
André, who reportedly turned down a roll in the upcoming "Dreamgirls" (with Beyonce and Jaime Foxx), is no stranger to the silver screen having acted in “Be Cool” and “Four Brothers,” among other films. Though he’s best known for his animated live performances and outlandish attire as a rapper, Percy, in stark contrast, is a melancholy, almost comatose alter ego. On the other hand, if not for the superb presence and depth of Terrence Howard, Big Boi could have easily stolen the show with his bravado and pizzazz.
Enough with the acting… What about the music?
Too often, a soundtrack may turn out better than a film. And, if you listen to the soundtrack before you see the film, you’ll expect an even distribution of one into the other. However, much of the soundtrack is not featured in the film. Plus, you won't find some songs in the film on the actual soundtrack. That’s because a good half dozen of them are taken from Outkast's 2003 double album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." What gives?
Perhaps the purpose is to provide two completely separate experiences, one exhibiting Outkast’s abilities as actors and another to showcase their musical skills to a whole new bracket of fans. Only billboard and box office results will tell if they’ve accomplished this.
Should you see “Idlewild,” whatever you do, DO NOT leave the theatre until you've watched the credits roll. If you leave, you'll miss, "Morris Brown," the best song on the soundtrack.
4 out of 5
