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André Benjamin, Antwan Andre Patton, Paula Patton, Terrence Howard, Faizon Love ... see more see more... , Malinda Williams , Cicely Tyson , Macy Gray , Ben Vereen , Paula Jai Parker , Bobb'e J. Thompson , Patti LaBelle , Ving Rhames , Jackie Long , Oscar Dillon , Jalil Lynch , Esau Ali Caldwell , Bruce Bruce , Bre'wan Waddell , Carol Mitchell-Leon , China Anderson , Isis Faust , Kyra Freeman , Kabrina Truesdale , Rodney Johnson , Farnsworth Bentley , Bryan Barber , Cynthia Covington Blash , Cali Casino , Kevin Rowe , Lillian Jones , Lakesha Lee , Charlie Lucas , Angelo Christopher Moore , Bill Nunn , Afemo Omilami , Liwaza Green , Karen Dyer , Annalisia Simone , Jennifer Johnson , Autavia Bailey , Jessica Castro , Kenna Morris , Stephanie Moseley , Debra Killings , Quinn Bass , Torya Beard , Jennifer Edmonds , Ryan Francois , Edgar Godineaux Jr. , Terrance Harrison , Micah James , Erika T. Johnson , Janice Lorraine , Chanel Malvar , Marielys Molina , Adesola Osakalumi , Henry Platt , Danielle Polanco , Carlos Sierra , Ivan "Flipz" Velez , Nadine Ellis , Elton Laron , Tracie Burton , Ayesha Orange , Josette Wiggan , Jason Samuels Smith , Victoria Parsons , Dannon Bryant , Patrick 'Sleepy' Brown , John Norwood Fisher , Kevin Kendrick , John Dexter Steward Jr.

OutKast duo André "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan Andre "Big Boi" Patton star as two Prohibition-era performers determined to fend off the vicious gangsters currently attempting to gain a stake in th... read more read more...e pair's lucrative club in this musical drama directed by longtime collaborator Bryan Barber and featuring choreography by three-time Tony award winner Hinton Battle. In the 1930s, Idlewild was the hottest speakeasy in the South thanks to the impressive showmanship of flamboyant manager/lead performer Rooster (Patton) and the notable talents of introverted pianist Percival (Benjamin). Everything changes, however, when a powerful gangster and his ruthless henchmen move in on the scene with every intention of landing a healthy portion of the club's considerable profits. Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Faizon Love, Patti LaBelle, Macy Gray, Ben Vereen, and Cicely Tyson co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

62% liked it

27,135 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

126 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Bryan Barber

Release Date: August 25, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 5, 2006

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Stats: 1,255 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,255)

  • jarobb3
    June 11, 2011
    jarobb3
    See it. Chances are, you'll fall in love with Idlewild in spite of how many times you've seen this plot before. But that might be the Georgia boy in me talking...
  • MidnightMadwoman
    February 12, 2008
    MidnightMadwoman
    This movie is beautiful. It's everything Chicago should have been: the music, the characters, the set design, the costumes, the script, the strange balance between tragedy, comedy and romance. This movie is really something special. Beautifully shot and the story is very well-cra... read morefted and tight. I love the surreality of the animation and the visual effects. Where was this during the Oscars?
  • purplemegan
    March 20, 2007
    purplemegan
    This movie was okay. I think it couldn't make up it's mind about whether to be serious or funny. I mean who sings with Cuckoo clocks? And the talking rooster on the flask? Weird. But I loved the little animated people on the sheets of music.
  • superclerk25
    February 11, 2007
    superclerk25
    This is an interesting blend of old time bootlegging and a concert video. The story is good and the acting is pretty spot on. If you really like Outkast you will dig this flick. For all you others it will entertain for a time.
  • magnum32004
    October 11, 2006
    magnum32004
    If "Chicago" & "Purple Rain" had a cool baby that started dating OutKast, then, this would be it. The musical numbers are superb, the songs are catchy, the acting is great.
  • DrZeek
    August 26, 2006
    DrZeek
    Everything that makes the movie is great, the music, the choreography, the sets, the art direction, all the style, and even the majority of the cast is all good stuff. The plot is what suffers, but this movie is more about having fun watching, with an easy story to tie it together.
  • flickfever
    August 21, 2006
    flickfever
    This movie was a trip to sit through. It was so magical at times, so dull at times and overall...very pretty good. The visual appeal was what first drew me into this picture and got me excited about seeing it. In that regard, it delivers. Its cinematography and direction cues are... read more masterful and are a testament of Bryan Barber's prowess behind the camera and editing board. The storyline, however, left a lot to be desired; as did the script, the acting and...(drumroll)....the music. The movie was more whimsical than musical. With its cute talking flask and the brilliant dancing notes on paper, the movie had lots of "cute" elements but no real substance. If you would just sit through the movie and watch it with the sound off...it probably would've been a much more rewarding experience. Don't get me wrong-- the film isn't bad. But it isn't good. It feels disjointed from the beginning. The meshing of musical genres with the visual style of the period is somewhat unsettling. The juxtapositiong of sound over visual is not a good tool to implement. Of course, it's OutKast and I should've expected it from them. But I expected much better....BECAUSE it was OutKast. A good effort, but not good enough.
  • hypathio7
    October 1, 2009
    hypathio7
    I enjoyed the setting, the style, the musical numbers.
  • gator681
    September 26, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Idlewild," Rooster(Antwan A. Patton) and Percival(Andre Benjamin) are childhood friends who work in their family businesses as adults, bootlegging and undertaking, respectively. They also share a love for music, both performing at a juke joint called The... read more Church.(If the church was like that when I was growing up, then I wouldn't be an atheist today.) Its proprietor, Ace(Faizon Love), is considering an offer from Rooster's Uncle Spats(Ving Rhames) to take over his business.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Flashy, with visual style to burn and great period detail, "Idlewild" is a perfect example of style winning over substance. This combination of musical(with a couple of anachronistic rap numbers) and gangster movie never adds up to much, despite Terrence Howard's electrifying performance. He is mesmerizing even when he is just standing still. [/font]
  • xas5
    March 28, 2010
    xas5
    One of the best musical of our time. Loved the effects in this movie. It's something new that our generation should be making more of.

View All Idlewild Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper
August 28, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

You don't have to have a stylistic device in every single shot. Full Review

Joanne Kaufman
August 25, 2006
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal

Shakespeare has been quoted many, many times over the past 400 or so years, but never to such empty purpose as in the inchoate, self-indulgent musical drama Idlewild Full Review

Claudia Puig
August 25, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

By jumbling genres, fashions, music and locales, and riddling bullets through much of it, Idlewild ends up feeling disjointed and disquieting. Full Review

Peter Howell
August 25, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

A series of pretty-good pop videos wrapped around a confusing tale of Chitlin' Circuit striving and conniving. Full Review

Neva Chonin
August 25, 2006
Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle

Idlewild comes alive only during the production numbers, which look and feel more like music videos than music as storytelling. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
August 25, 2006
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

[The Outkast duo] are, as might be expected, terrific in the musical numbers and painfully self-conscious in the dramatic sequences.

Roger Moore
August 25, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

A misguided period-piece musical about gangsters, illegal 'hooch,' 'floozies' and music that is almost entirely unlike jazz. Full Review

Lisa Rose
August 25, 2006
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

The OutKast epic Idlewild is an amazingly misguided film, a muddled attempt to create an old school Hollywood musical showcasing the unique hip-hop duo. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
August 25, 2006
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

It's basically a series of music videos -- a few quite good -- strung together over two long hours and loosely connected by a weak story line loaded with anachronisms.

Elizabeth Weitzman
August 25, 2006
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

The first film from OutKast iconoclasts André Benjamin (André 3000) and Antwan A. Patton (Big Boi) has all the wit and creativity of their music videos. And here's the bad news: That makes it at least... Full Review

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