Cadillac Records (2008)

Director:

Darnell Martin

Writer (WGA):

Darnell Martin (written by)

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Music | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | 1950s | Homage | Singing | Rhythm And Blues

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Leonard Chess
Jeffrey Wright	...	Muddy Waters
Gabrielle Union	...	Geneva Wade
Columbus Short	...	Little Walter
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Willie Dixon
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Revetta Chess
Eamonn Walker	...	Howlin' Wolf
Mos Def	...	Chuck Berry
Beyoncé Knowles	...	Etta James
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joshua Alscher	...	Mick Jagger
Tim Bellow	...	Man in the Caddy
Tony Bentley	...	Lomax
Lawrence P. Beron	...	Overseer
Tammy Blanchard	...	Isabelle Allen
Eric Bogosian	...	Alan Freed
Marc Bonan	...	Keith Richards
Wayne Cobham	...	Piano - Ettas Recording Recording Group
Ryan Curtis	...	Picnic Boyfriend
Veronika Dash	...	Blonde
Eshaya Draper	...	Charles Waters - 7 Years Old
John Farrer	...	Violinist - Ettas Recording group
Shiloh Fernandez	...	Phil Chess
Jill Flint	...	Shirley Feder
Doug W. Goldman	...	Trumpet - Ettas Recording group
Gano Grills	...	Slick Pimp
Suzette Gunn	...	Minnie
Evan Hart	...	Young lover
Osas Ighodaro	...	Vicky - Maid
Kevin Jackson	...	Mysterious Black Man
Albert Jones	...	Hubert Sumlin
Nate Jones	...	Etta's Recording Group
Rayan Lawrence	...	Harmonica Player
Chyna Layne	...	Juanita
Malikha Mallette	...	Little Walter's girlfriend
Kevin Mambo	...	Jimmy Rogers
Aaron Munoz	...	Manager
Anthony Del Negro	...	Bandstand Dancer
Natasha Ononogbo	...	Muddy Waters' Girlfriend
Ginnie Randall	...	Muddy Waters Grandmother
Norman Reedus	...	Chess
Jake Robards	...	Robert
Jay O. Sanders	...	Mr. Feder
Stephen Seidel	...	Officer Brown
Derrick Simmons	...	Dice Player
Valence Thomas	...	James Cotton
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	Black mississippi dj
Dwan Dink Young	...	Drums - Ettas Recording group

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44889) | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Company:

LightWave Entertainment

Trivia:

Leonard Chess's brother Philip was his partner in both the night club and Chess Records. However, Philip never appears or is mentioned in the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Chuck Berry enters the picture in the mid 1950s, most of his songs that you hear are from 1964 ("No Particular Place", "Nadine", "Promised Land", etc).

Quotes:

Muddy Waters: You alright? Damn it.
Little Walter: I had no business being that pretty anyway.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I'd Rather Go Blind

Absolutely inaccurate

As a piece of entertainment this movie may be OK. But why take REAL names of REAL people (some of them fortunately are still living) to tell a story which, for the most part, is completely inaccurate. IMDb reviewer Davo Sambo has rightly pointed out the most blatant inaccuracies that this film carries. But as I have seen and met most of the artists involved in the plot (and for some of them - like Muddy who went dining at my home in Lyon (France) - I've had the fortune to know them personally) what worries me the most is that their personnality are also very inaccurate. For instance, Muddy who had an incredible charisma is portrayed here essentially as a very tepid character who thinks mostly to chase women. And Howlin' Wolf - a tough man certainly but a very bright and articulate one - is here portrayed as the terrorizing Wolf he PLAYED on stage and never out stage. The true story of the Chess saga (and the Chicago blues) is yet to be told properly