Cadillac Records (2008)

Chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists.

Director:

Darnell Martin

Writer:

Darnell Martin

Stars:

Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyoncé Knowles

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joshua Alscher	...	Mick Jagger
Tim Bellow	...	Man in the Caddy (as Timothy Bellow)
Tony Bentley	...	Lomax
Tammy Blanchard	...	Isabelle Allen
Eric Bogosian	...	Alan Freed
Marc Bonan	...	Keith Richards
Adrien Brody	...	Leonard Chess
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Willie Dixon
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Revetta Chess
Douglas Crosby	...	Policeman (Little Walter beating)
Dexter Darden	...	Geneva's Teenage Son
Veronika Dash	...	Blonde Girl
Sean Shyboy Davis	...	Toothless Hillbilly Little Walter (as Sean Davis)
Eshaya Draper	...	Charles Waters
Shiloh Fernandez	...	Phil Chess

Storyline

In this tale of sex, violence, race, and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, "Cadillac Records" follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

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Plot Keywords:

sex | 1950s | title directed by female | jazz music | jazz | 

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Taglines:

If you take the ride, you must pay the price.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cadillac Records - Csillogó fekete lemezek

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,445,559 (USA) (5 December 2008)

Gross:

$8,134,217 (USA) (2 January 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

LightWave Entertainment, Parkwood Pictures, Sony Music Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonard Chess' brother, Philip, was his partner in both the night club and Chess Records. However, Philip is never mentioned throughout the film, and only appears in Chess Record scenes.

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Goofs

Everyone at Chess Records drives a '57 Cadillac, in 1955.

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Quotes

Etta James: Don't be looking at me like I ain't got no draws on.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Echelon Conspiracy/Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li/Crossing Over (2009)

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Soundtracks

Maybellene
Performed by Yasiin Bey
Written by Chuck Berry
Published by Arc Music Corp. & Isalee Music Corp.

User Reviews

if you love and know about the blues, stay away

Saying Leonard Chess discovered Etta James, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf is like saying George Washington discovered America. They all recorded in studios before they recorded at Chess. According to this movie, Muddy and Willie don't fly to England until 1967. It was 1958; ask Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Jimmy Page among others. Not only does this movie get a lot wrong by misconstruing the facts, it leaves out a couple the bigger players like Sonny Boy Williamson and Big Bill Broonzy. If you want to hear Etta at her best, listen to the live version of "Baby, What You Want Me To Do". Beyonce couldn't touch that. Spike Lee could do this movie with the same actors (except Beyonce, please use Sharon Jones) and win a Grammy.

The real story of what these people went through doesn't need to be dramatized or exaggerated, it's a great story as is. Read some books.