Good morning everyone! Today, we are going to be diving into another biopic, like with 2019’s Rocketman, and 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody. For those of us who saw films like those, we may recall that those were based on real life stories from artists that began their music careers decades ago. and now, based on the life of music artist Aretha Franklin, the one, and only Respect.
Plot: The movie begins in the 1940s, and 1950s, when music artist to be Aretha Franklin is raised by her father, Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, a Baptist minister, and civil rights activist. From there, the movie progresses, and takes place during the time of Martin Luther King Jr., and talks about how Aretha Franklin became the famous musical artist that many of us have come to know today.
Wow, let me just start off, and say what a really great film this is. First off, Respect is just a really well done film. The story is well done, and doesn’t hesitate to show both the positive, as well as the negative aspects of artist Aretha Franklin’s life. Honestly, like probably many other musical artists, it’s surprising to see how difficult life seemed to be for Aretha Franklin growing up. Next, nearly every character is developed really well. I mean there are no bad guys, per se, besides one, or two characters in particular that people will likely love to despise with a passion. Besides those, however, the other characters are just humans who make either really good choices, or really bad ones, and either intentionally, or unintentionally hurting themselves, and others in the process. Not to mention that at the end of the day, people will likely find themselves rooting for people like Aretha Franklin to overcome the personal struggles that she has in the end. Oh, and another thing to say in regards to the characters, the actors, and actresses that play them do so well with that. I mean Jennifer Hudson is great as Aretha Franklin, Forest Whitaker as Aretha’s Baptist minister father, C.L. Franklin, and all the other people who play in their respective roles. Still, I would say that Hudson, and Whitaker seem to shine the most out of all the characters. Next, there is the musical score by Kris Bowers. Wow, let me just say that he does a fantastic job of capturing the feel of times like the 1940s-1950s, and the years after that. Not only that, but songs, like “Respect”, “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”, and other songs like it, I wouldn’t be surprised if people were to flock to stores, and buy the soundtrack for this film after seeing this movie. Yeah, it is just that good. Additionally, it’s nice to see a film that is willing to be as long as two and a half hours. I mean sure, the story may drag slightly at times. Still, it’s much more understandable in this case than in others simply because it helps for the story, and characters overall to be developed to the best of their ability. Also, the movie needed room to breathe, and have it’s more quiet moments as well, and the more loud, and boisterous ones. Additionally, Respect is great at teaching some very valuable life lessons. One of these includes the lessons about how not everyone in life can be trusted. I mean this film shows how even though some people can appear to promise good things, they end up being villainous people in disguise. There’s also the good lesson about how God can, and will bring good even out of the most difficult of circumstances. Also, the film serves as a great reminder about how no one is beyond God’s forgiveness. For reasons such as these, it’s safe to say that people will most likely find Respect more fun, and uplifting than recent biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody, or even Rocketman.
And that’s my review for Respect. The movie is great, and is a great true story about going from tragedy to triumph. Truth be told, we need more movies like Respect as of nowadays. The soundtrack is amazing, the characters are memorable, and the story is overall excellent. Truth be told, Respect deserves sole Oscars to be sure. Definitely see Respect if you haven’t yet. A must see, without a doubt!
Final Grade: A+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 