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Idlewild Outkast's Idlewild is a good try for an ambitious first film by two maverick rappers addicted to surprising their fans by staying ahead of the curve.
Idlewild is a musical, brought to us by the dynamic and creative rap duo, Outkast, about two speakeasy performers who become entangled with gangsters.
Big Boi plays Rooster, the club's manager, who, through no fault of his own, becomes indebted to a gangster by the name of Trumpy, played by the brilliant Terrance Howard (familiar to viewers for his strong performances in Crash, Ray, Four Brothers, and Hustle and Flow). Andre 3000 plays Percival, a piano player at the club who falls in love with a singer with a shady past.
The film takes place in the prohibition South of the United States in the 1930's. A time when the drinking of alcohol was prohibited and black market manufacturers and gangsters blossomed to fill the void left by prohibition laws.
It should come as no surprise that Outkast would tackle such a bodacious film project, which lives safely ensconced in the land no other rap group would even think about venturing into. In fact, most performers without a musical theater background, would run the other way rather than take the risk of appearing in a 1930's era musical.
But both Big Boi and Andre 3000 take the bulls by the horn and wrestle the beast to the ground. Big Boi does a solid job of acting while Andre seems to work too hard on his character. He has been quoted as becoming obsessed with learning certain musical instruments or throwing himself into his roles. At some point, however, the audience wants to see the character as detached from the effort put into molding that character. To his credit, he does a much better job in Four Brothers.
In the first half hour of the film, everyone seems like a cartoon character. In fact, the film can't figure out if it wants to be an animation, a comedy or a drama. It eventually settles down, largely due to Terrance Howard. The special effects stop being distracting and become pretty cool, totally conforming to Outkast's eccentric and imaginative style, as expressed on their many multi-platinum albums.
What is a disappointment is hearing songs that were already released some time ago. It could be that the movie took much longer to be released than originally planned. I am not sure that I would run out and buy the soundtrack to this flic. It seems to be an attempt at some hip-hop/swing innovation. It's like Outkast thought they were unearthing a pearl buried in muck. Andre 3000 has said many times that hip-hop is dead and that its successor lies in the funk genre. There is no funk here and what is here is not compelling.
However the dance scenes are vivacious and the sets and costumes are truly engaging. It's also nice to see Cicely Tyson and Ben Vereen ( who plays Percival's father), two well respected actors often overlooked in favor of younger, less talented picks.
Speaking of less talented, Percival's love interest, Angel Davenport, is played by newcomer Paula Patton. Her character is a stereotype; the "fine curvy light skinned woman" who transfixes every male she passes. (This stereotype has been done to death, see Vanessa William's character in Hoodlum, as one example of many.) I was a bit shocked to see Patton as the lead, which did not seem to fit at all with the non-conformist stance of Outkast. Her acting was weak and its impossible to ascertain what she brought to the film. Especially when someone as unique and powerful as Macy Gray is on the sidelines playing a bit role as a jealous singer.
The plot of Idlewild could have been more innovative. It's a little disconcerting to have such interesting special effects as a talking liquor flask, while also having a plot that has been done before, ad nauseam. That is the primary downfall of this film. It is predictable.
Nevertheless, Big Boi and Andre 3000 continue to rack up respect for going where no other rapper has ever been. They are without fear. I think they know they are so creative and talented that anything they do is bound to have some merit. Idlewild is no exception.
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