She’s 1 bad singer in a good way….but 1 bad actress in a bad way

Everyone always gives the oh so negative opinions about Beyonce, I’d like to see half of you play that part, or any part shes played for that matter! She may not Be Halle Berry Good, but shes not horrible either, you all are so determined to find flaws in her, Examine your damn selves, yall cant do half the things she does! Get over yourselves, fickle ass people!

wow!! i cant wait for this movie…she killed that song.

I think I’m more interested in seeing a part of Etta James’ life play out on screen, since I listen to her more than I listen to Beyonce or any other mianstream artist. I was especially tuned because she was singing one of my faves. “All I Could Do was Cry” and I know that song inside out and thought that there were parts where Beyonce put her own vocal inflections on the song, but other than that she did good. She’s quite slimmer than Etta was even back in those days though.
Another thing is this film is about Chess Records, so it’s not just about Beyonce and Etta James. Eamonn Walker as Howlin’ Wolf who was the epitome of the New Orleans blues musician or Mos Def as Chuck Berry, everyone know the infamous “duck walk” whether you know it’s origin on not. I think this one will be a hit with the older crowd.

I really love her suit. Beyonce looks great.

@#7
Beyonce has no natural talent in terms of singing she has no feeling when she sings that is why people say she can’t sing because like everything else she does it’s over the top and not in a good way. She was trained and that’s fine but the girl has no tone.
See her performance from the other morning I think it was the Today show. She doesn’t really sound good live. Her voice is thin and full of tin. She was a little pageant girl and that’s all she’ll ever be. IF you like that buy it it’s all a matter of taste and authenticity.
IT’s not for me

Have you all seen any reviews of the other movies which are slated for release…ie Nicole Kidman, Australia and Angelie Jolie will be nominated for Changling…just tomention two, now these are real actresses….so be real and educated about what is really happening out here in the theatres this season black folk it is not all about Beyonce in Hollywood…sorry!!!!

SASHA did excellent aka once she started singing she did good before that terrible. . .

They should have used etta james voice nad not beyonce. Ettat james has a great unique singing voice totally different than Beyonce.

Everything number 9 said is true….she needs more practice..the silver screen isnt her friend…she’s not an actress…she trys to hard…and its written all over her face. I thought i was watching Dreamgirls again….but the singing was bananas…quit giving her movie rolls til she can really act people…damn!!! I love you beyonce…lol!

Wow @ #226
What an interesting play on words.

B is a beautiful, hard working woman with nice vocals who seems to put her all into what she does. However, I have very strong opinions regarding her ability to act (don’t call me hater.. get a dictionary and expand your vocabulary). I think she is improving but to call her a great actress is a bit of a stretch. I had a problem with her singing these songs in her real voice. She should have lip-synced to Etta’s voice. Really. Their voices are not similar.. at all! Etta has a much deeper, richer register. I am sure she will put forth a decent effort in this movie but I feel bad for actresses like Angela Bassett. Angela is a TALENT! Sometimes I refuse to watch the Oscar’s because they really did her a disservice by not giving her the Best Actress for her portrayal of Tina Turner. And it is a bit fishy that B gets roles in movies where she is either financing or producing or being promoted to put buts in the seats.

I and other critics will respect her acting ability more if she goes through real auditions against other actresses. Takes on a non-singing role. Changes her ACCENT. I’m sorry but watching her speak on screen.. is the same as her interviews. See Angela in What’s Love.. Kerry Washington in Last King of Scotland. Sophie Okenedo (British Actress) in Hotel Rwanda and Secret Life of Bees. I am curious to see handles playing EARTHA KITT. Can she change her voice to get that distinct purr and pseudo-European accent that Kitt has? We shall see.

The reason B is getting so much flack for her Oscar comment is because she does not deserve one. Sorry. She is a wonderful singer and performer but an Oscar? Let us step away from the ledge. Has she given us a performance to be even put in the same league as Whoopi? Charlize Theron (did you see her in Monster.. my goodness)? Cate Blanchett? Judi Dench? Penelope Cruz? Angela? Catherine Zeta Jones? Meryl Streep? This is the level she must be at and to say you want to win an Oscar before you are 30 shows that she thinks she is capable of being at this level and she us shown us no such thing.

I reserve my opinion until B gives us a performance worthy of such talk. A transforming role. Like Ray did for Jamie Fox. Or Effie did for J Hud. Say what you want about whether J Hud deserved it.. the woman became that role and blew everyone else in the movie out of the water (save for Eddie Murphy).

Here, is an article dealing with people that are really contending for the Oscars.
http://seattlepi.nwsource...s/389578_oscarbuzz28.html
I recommend that you all try to see these movies and the actors and actresses. This is the level B must achieve. I will watch Cadillac Records and wish Beyonce all the best and hope she is honing this wonderful craft that not only entertains but brings life to the screen.

that brad cannot act or sing like etta her voice is too thin for the part she needs to give it up she sucks her album is wackk too

Love Bee’

- But, i think ‘STACY LATTISAW’ would have brought
some originality to the set.

**crickets** — where is she anyway?

For the poster who said she don’t have natural singing talent, she couldn’t do the things with her voice without having a great voice. Her voice is not thin at all. It is richer than people really but it is not as thick as say Etta’s. Even if her voice is thin, “thinned” voiced singers can’t do what Beyonce does with her voice. Ask Ciara or Janet or Rihanna or Mya or Keri or Ashanti to sing like this. They can’t.

Beyonce can sing anything at any tempo and almost any genre. People want to criticize her acting, okay. That’s fair game. She’s not bad but she is not great. I agree with that. But when it comes to the art of being a vocalist, she is the best female vocalist of her age group whether y’all like it or not.

@ 227 If Beyonce wants to be taken as a serious actress she must be compared to other great actresses and she is not on their level. She chose this profession so she will be crtiqued. Just like at work they critique me constantly and I have supervisors who don’t think I deserve the job. And sit down talking about some of you can’t do half the things Beyonce does, does she have a college degree nope she doesn’t. So why are you comparing us.

Point of the matter is Beyonce is a great singer and that is why she get props. But with acting she is way outta her league. She is not even respected in the movie industry. And it is clear her stans are delusional talking about she will win an Oscar, Will Smith hasn’t won an Oscar yet, and look at all the great movies he has done. Halle Berry acted for years before she won an Oscar. What makes you think Beyonce wearing a wig, not changing her accent, singing is going to win an Oscar? Also Angelina Jolie will be in best actress category, you want to compare her role in the Changeling to Beyonce’s role, please get real. Most of the reviews are saying the movie is more about a great soundtrack than the history so there you go.
237, you should get an award for your critique.

Oh and Beyonce produced this movie, so that make sense why she was cast in the movie.

u guys r crazy bee has been wearing her real hair for a while now thats not a wig wtf im a boy and i can tell, she did great in the role i just feel that with bee people are notsatisfied no matter what its really confusing

First off, this part should had gone to Jill Scott (if she would slim down a bit for the part). Jill has done superb in her latest roles and unlike Beyonce, Jill writes her own songs/music, so she is a natural actress. This is a gift for artist who are gifted in writing their own stuff: Lauren Hill, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott even Erykah Badu, Macy Gray (all have done well in acting unlike Beyonce)…etc.

Beyonce does not really write her own stuff. It is always co-written. She is shallow as an artist, especially when it comes to acting…it shows so much. I am still taken back that she never called Jennifer Hudson, after all Jennifer has said in regards to looking up to Beyonce/Destiny Child etc. She owed her better than this. I honestly feel that because of her film coming up, she wanted to down play Jennifer Hudson’s plight, because she is still salty/overshadowed by Jennifer’s talent as an established Oscar “actress”/singer. I feel that some people should stick to one thing, and clearly that is singing hooks Mrs. Knowles-Carter.

Beyonce honestly needed to take a year off and work on her leaving her mark in the industry with a sound/style that we can remember her by….her first album was exactly that, and she should had stayed in that path, instead of making garbage music in reference to the last two albums. I can honestly say that there is nothing “signature” about Beyonce, Mary J., we can coin her as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Alicia Keys, is the new Stevie Wonder of soul of our generation, Jill Scott/Erykah Badu are Neo Soul Queens, etc….all I can say for Beyonce, is that she is the Queen of Pop music, and even this is a far stretch…there is a fakeness about her off stage, that transcends in everything she does and say when she is not on stage. SMDH!!!

^^^So Beyonce is not a lyric writer. So what? She does know and understand music. Has had formal training and is a great vocalist and performer. That’s all that matters. All of the other stuff about whether she calls Jen or not, is not even arguable. People act like Beyonce is a villian in a movie rather than an entertainer. Like goodness, it is sickenening sometimes.

B REALLY WANTS DAT OSCAR!!!!!!!!!

Beyonce is an excellent singer but as an actress she doesn’t transcend the role. Regardless of what role she plays, you will always she BEYONCE. In order for her to rightfully play a role she MUST take a break from the music. I believe that these opportunities that are hurting skillful actress.

That was a great Beyonce performance, so much so that I could not see Etta. I will definitely support this film because I want Hollywood to make more films with black women in lead.

If Beyonce really wants to be an actor, she needs to take time out to study the craft and start in a non-singing, supporting role like the one Angelina Jolie did in girl interrupted and won an Oscar.

She tore it up!! I can’t wait to see this movie!! From what i’ve seen I think Bee Has done an awesome Job!! A lot of people hate on her because of her success, but hey I’m happy to see just of of us making it!!

Beyonce is just not an actress, her fans will love anything she does and they can’t be objective about her because they are all going to fall at her feet and worship no matter how horrible she is. She’s a good singer, not a great one. She’s an awful actress, and there is nothing to save her from that. No amount of coaching can help her. She is innately a fake person who is not in touch with her true self. Everything she does is an “act”. Every interview, performance, and every sound bite coming from her is nothing more than an “act”. It’s called the Beyonce act. So asking her to stop and drop her defenses, become vulnerable to a character, and become someone other than “Beyonce, the act” she has no idea how to do it. She is totally lost because all she has done all her life is learn how to “be beyonce”. She was taught how to imitate the greats from 9 years old in her bootcamp that her dad held. She isn’t capable of being anything except the pageant queen, a rehearsed wanna be diva. Too bad bey, it takes real authenticity as a person, real vulnerability, not fakeness to become a GREAT actress worthy of an Oscar. That is something Beyonce does not possess, and its very probable that she never will…

Wow that’s a good point, Will Smith does not have an Oscar yet, that blows my mind.

Actually it takes some natural instinct to become an actor. I don’t see that in beyonce. I have seen the film and previous films she has starred in, and it simply isn’t there. She is awkward, too animated, doesn’t connect with her role and sometimes embarrassingly expressive when it is not called for. Beyonce doesn’t even understand her characters most of the time. For example in DreamGirls, she could not really relate to Dena, and she definitely can’t relate to Etta and has no understanding of the motivation of the characters she plays. She has no perspective and it shows of film. She can’t be a great actress when she doesn’t even understand the craft. It takes real emotional connection and understanding of the characters experience in order to accurately relay that on film. Somewhere within herself she will have to find common ground with her character, truly become the character before she will ever be seen as a serious actress. Take a look at Halle playing that crack head in Jungle Fevor, many people failed to realize that it was her. Why? Because she was no longer Halle, she became that crack head and did not bathe for 5 days in order to get into that grimey feel of living foul. Can beyonce ever really love acting enough to study and dedicate herself in this way? Or is she simply taking roles to get that almighty Oscar? She has no love for this craft, and without it she will never receive the accolades such as Oscar. If she has no real love for acting, she will never become a great actress, its just that simple.

252 Be Honest, nailed it!

I mean the more comments I read, it is clear that beyonce isn’t fooling anyone. I think she and her dad are so out of touch (this seems to happen when you become uber rich lol) with the public, that they really believe that she can say stupid things like “I want an Oscar before I turn 30″ and they actually believe that she will get one even though both of them know she can’t act!!! lol I think that they are so hung up in being ambitious and going after awards and recogniton until they have ultimately forgot one small detail : BEYONCE CAN’T ACT!!!! lol You can dress her up in 10 different wigs, hold press conferences, big her up but the simple fact remains, you still have a chick who can’t act, no matter how many roles she “buys”. Sorry, but you all are not going to pull the wool over the public’s eyes. Sean Combs in Monster’s Ball, or in Raisin in the Sun, now those were some pretty good performances, but he didn’t think he was about to pick up an Oscar. It’s hard work, you don’t just jump up in a movie with a wig on and proclaim you want an oscar before 30, it sound like you are nothing more than a dense idiot. Look at the truly talented actors such as Angela Bassett uhh hello beyonce, you are not on her level. What makes you think YOU should have an Oscar before 30 when a truly tlaented person such as Angela is yet to get one, even after she poured her blood sweat and tears into her role as Tina Turner!!!???! That really p!sses me off. Beyonce has no respect for those who actually have real acting ability, she just wants the award even though she has no talent in acting WHATSOEVER!!! keep it real, she is no actor, and is a disgrace to singers and rappers who actually hold talent in these areas. Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, JHUD actually have talent, show some damn humility beyonce!!! Your money can’t and won’t buy you an Oscar. Diana Ross killed that movie Lady sings the Blues and she doesn’t have an Oscar, she acts circles around this bimbo beyonce!! Go sit your lame butt down beyonce, you are such a fool!!

I think she is so caught up in just winning and being number one she just can’t relax and let things happen naturally. Yeah, you can’t buy an Oscar vote Hollywood don’t like ya that much. She always brags and boasts I rarely hear a female do that mostly rappers.

I wish Jenifer H , Miss Keys or, Miss Berry , did this important role , Why BEYONCE ???? come on HollyWood ,,,we need more then a show fool , for black historic roles .

MORE ESSAYS! EVERYONE IS HARPING ON “I WANT TO WIN AN OSCAR BEFORE I TURN 30″ BEYONCE HAS BEEN SAYING THIS IN PUBLIC SINCE SHE WAS 18 YRS OLD. SHE HAS SAID SHE DON’T THINK SHE WILL, BUT SHE WOULD STILL LIKE TO WIN ONE IN HER LIFETIME. DO ANY OF YOU PUT LIMITS ON YOUR LIFE OR DO YOU STRIVE TO BE THE BEST AT WHATEVER YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO? EVERY ACTOR OR ACTRESS WANTS TO WIN AN OSCAR, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T HEAR THEM SAY IT DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY LESS TRUE.

I couldnt tell shyt off that clip, I already like most of you guys have stated that we all know beyonce can blow, that 3 second bs was nothing,…..

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! I have been rolling since I read the comment that suggested Tamala Mann for the role of Etta James. Don’t get me wrong, Tam can blow, one of the most underated singers of today, but come on now! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! No, homegirl should just stick to TP Productions, that’s more her genre.

@257, not only is about her wanting an Oscar before 30, but the bish can’t act. lets not overlook that fact. If she actually had talent in that area, no one would care if she said she wanted one before 30, however it is downright silly for her to say this as though she actually has some damn talent as an actress. Call me crazy but I’d rather her say that she wants to learn how to actually ACT and validate herself as a well established actress before turning 30 because to this day she has YET to do that. Baby steps Beyonce, first actually get some acting chops before saying you want an Oscar. It’s absurd for her to say that, its like putting the cart before the horse!! Stans wake up, if you want to argue about something like this, be mad at beyonce for making dumb comments… she sounds foolish. Period.

So Beyonce wants to join the ranks of Denzel Washington, Sidney Portier, Halle Berry, Whoopi Golberg, etc. BWAHAAAA! Come on, Beyonce?? Win an Oscar???
Yes every actor wants to win an oscar. key word being “actor” beyonce is the furthest from being a real actress. Buying up roles and putting yourself in them does not make one Oscar worthy. Sitting a blonde wig on top of your head, while speaking and singing with your same old thick texas country drawl is not acting. Real actors who have studied, and auditioned and worked their butts off should be insulted by this empty headed chick trying to come up and talk her way into winning an oscar even though she doesn’t deserve one. Let’s be honest, beyonce just wants to add “actress” “oscar winner” to her list of bragging rights. She doesn’t want it for the right reasons. She’s still mad that Jhud beat her out of what was supposed to be her vehicle to winning an oscar (dreamgirls). This is an ego thing for beyonce and her stans who love to use her accomplishments on web blogs as arguments to make themselves feel better, just as they do with the forbes list crap, as if that actually makes her more of a valid artist. not. anyway, this is why she’ll never get one. her intentions are wrong and she doesn’t have the ability to do a role that will ever get her an oscar nomination, let alone an oscar win. no way.

bey want to win an oscar before she turn 30.

people in hell would like a glass of ice water

simple answer to both: IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN LOL

I LOVE BEYONCE, I’D SUCK HER D!CK IF SHE HAD ONE

250, 252, 254, 260 & 261 are the same people writng essays., LMAO

Same stan postin over and over that they like beyonce in the movie LMAO
same results, beyonce actin sucks ballls

@61…You so damn retarded!!..how da hell u gon sit there and say she is aging fast?!!..I bet you couldn’t hold a candle 2 her..let alone stand beside her and still look like somethin….nor could u pull off a pant suit!!..somma u broads just hate cuz u know Beyonce’ looks 10x’s better than u…nor could somma u slide yo fat ass in anything she wears.just continue to hate cuz u can’t do it..dizzy heffa.

talk about foolery!!!!!!! bey need to just stop the madness
the wig is a hot mess
her acting is so bad i am just lololol
her singing doesn’t hold a candle to etta james and even etta says so lolol
now thats a dang shame even etta says beyonce can’t sing as good as she can lolol
hot azz mess beyonce!

i hate that old lady pant suit on beyonce, plus her thighs are too big for it, the pants are too tight, the hair is really wrong too. wtf is up with her style lately. she looks so blah and plain. her makeup is barely there. In all honesty she looks much better doing a full on glam look, she needs more makeup and the lacefront in order to look truly beautiful. She is not a natural beauty at all. this less is more looks exposes all of her flaws.

you gotta love it !!!!!!!

I love you B, you are the golden girl. No doubt. But baby, I have loved”ALL I COULD DO WAS CRY” for 48 years. I thought that the lyrics were …”.for them life has just begun, but mine is at an end!”

She did awesome (As usual)! I love her! I don’t know why everyone is always hating on her. Wait a minute, yes I do… They’re jelous! And I don’t know what ppl r talking about, the wig looks better than the real Etta James hair did. Go B! It’s your birthday!!!

I heard Columbus Short KILLS his character (in a good way) and Mos Def gives an awesome performance. As far as Beyonce’s performance, I heard her singing is on point but her acting is overkill. I also heard that she’s gets unecessary camera time (like they just added scenes so she could be on camera) which is understandable because I’m sure they’re counting on her to fill seats. This also might have something to do with the fact that she produced the film, giving her more control…giving her more of a chance to show her acting “abilities”. Reviews are up. Overall they’re pretty much saying the music is great, but if you’ve seen Ray, Dreamgirls, The Temptations…etc, this movie isn’t worth your $20. On a better note I heard “Milk” is amazing.

Need Extra Cash.. http://idek.net/TU

beyonce acting is not good and never will be. this movie is not worth going to the theater. can anyone say blockbuster rental lol

I think Bey has stepped up her acting skillz but you can’t tell in this clip. She is singing and we all know that she can BLOW!!!!!! People r knocking her for being a bad actress but I have seen a previous clip and she did great.

I thought Bey sucked act acting but I have changed my mind. I will see the movie.

I really don’t believe anyone is jealous of beyonce @271….She’s just not the best actress and people can see that. I know that she is trying but her voice grates on my nerves, and it doesn’t even resemble anything close to Etta James. That is the distracting thing about this movie. It just seems like a forced attempt to make beyonce seem like a real actress, but the movie would have been much better with an unknown. To tell the truth…..bey can’t do Etta’s songs or life experience any kind of justice. It takes a real actor to pull this off and bey doesn’t. The movie wasn’t worth my time.

More bad acting and more B movie type of perfomance for Knowles. NO more than Beyonce hitting glory notes to pay homage to herself, she she damn sure wasn’t singing like Etta. More self-promo for the media whore Beyonce Knowles. At this point its like Beyonce overkill. Can she please just go sit down somewhere. Just too much Beyonce lately and this movie is going to flop so will Obsessed. Just pitiful.

On a positive note, Jeffrey Wright and Adrien Brody save the movie. Etta should demand a movie based solely on her life and ask for a REAL actor to play her, definitely not Beyonce.

Everyone gets it escept beyonce and her dad. hang it up YAWNCE no one like your acting ‘cept stand LOL

*except*

y is erbody so negative beyonce is trying her best and she is making it God bless her she is a succesfl beautiful youong woman who got it all n d adamic jealos nature wont letchall accept the fact dat she s working hard to be somebody and do something go be u did a good job…watchall mean she cant act it looked liked she was bout to cry doin that song dats part of acting n try crying when nuttins makin u cry…exactly

FIRST OF ALL STEPH BEYONCE IS IN THE LAST 48 MINUTES OF THE MOVIE, HOW IN THE HECK CAN SHE BE HAVING UNESSISARY CAMERA TIME. YOU KNOW WHAT I JUST READ A REVIEW AND IT WAS BAD NEWS FOR BEYONCE. THEY WERE SAYING BEYONCE RUINED THE MOVIE AND ALL THAT, I SAW THE MOVIE AND I THINK SHE WAS GOOD BUT NOT NEEDED. BUT THIS REVIEW SAID SHE CRIED ON POINT GAVE LOTS OF EMOTION BUT FAILED TO HAVE ONSCREEN CHARISMA?????????????? BUT I REALIZED THE REVIEWER WAS ONE OF THOSE SINGERS SHOULD STAY SINGERS ND ACTRESS SHOULD STAY ACTRESS. AND HE GAVE SOUL MEN RAVING REVIEWS. THE THING THAT BOTHERED ME WAS, HER PRAISED HER FOR DREAMGIRLS………………..U KNOW WAT JUST GO SEE THE MOVIE

whats up with all the beyonce articles ???

we have enuff beyonce fansites on the web.lol

“Beyonce performing”, “Beyonce eating her sandwich” ; “Beyonce singing” (duh she a singer) ; “Beyonce walking” ; “Beyonce turnin around” ; “Beyonce liftin her left arm!!” (wow she’s a REAL human) ; “Beyonce breathing”..

lmao! no man, thats sick. and i dont even read them articles, but its just irritating to see that each article (or most of them) is about bee. 0k we all love her singing, her couple, her life, etc. but there are many more celebrities out there!!

Is that the only clip they could release? It shows us nothing more than we already know, and where is the actors clips? The movie is bigger than bey, it is sad when the rest of the cast is not promoting to that degree, it feels like promotion for a bey concert.

Love her!

I love beyonce and i thought she did great in the clip,no DOUBT that beyonce can sing.But i think that Faith Evan would have been perfect for the part also. Their voices and apperance are quiet similar. But Beyonce do yo thang girl!

#285 ummmmmmmmm black film has 10 clips of the movie, you would no if u was’nt blinded by hate for beyonce.

sit down bey we are sick of you trying to be everything in the entertainmnet industry. bey is getting really annoying. i won’t go see the movie because i am just over this chick, she is such a selfish hog. hogging the camera time, can she let some real talent shine. black people who have gone to school to be true to the acting game can’t even catch a break because of this bimbo. step outta the way knowles, you don’t have any acting talent anyway. smdh

This movie is a def go-see…mad props to B for stepping outside the box.

B is BAD all around…don’t be mad…YES God shined on her and she making real good use of those skills HE blessed her with! HI HATEZ!!!!

That was wonderful. She had the tears in her eyes, slightly trembling…and she sang that song like nobody’s business. I’ll go & see it.

Beyonce’s singing was fine, but the acting part wasn’t good at all.

bey’s voice better than etta’s..ARE YOU PEOPLE ON CRACK? Bey’s voice is mediocre compared the etta.

As for her performance, it wasn’t good but it wasn’t that bad either..Oscar worthy? HELL NAW!

Say no more…….

Rock and roll has always been characterized by colorful characters, doing things like marrying their 13-year-old cousins or eating live bats onstage. And the people employed by Chess Records in the early 1950s, one of the first labels to bring black musicians to the mainstream, were as colorful as any. With Cadillac Records, writer-director Darnell Martin has done himself a key favor by hiring equally dynamic actors to play these early movers and shakers, from Jeffrey Wright’s laconic Muddy Waters to Mos Def’s twitchy, charming take on Chuck Berry. Martin’s serviceable direction and plodding story might have been saved by this cadre of talent had he not handed over a key role, and at least two full-fledged musical numbers, to one of the highest-paid bad actresses working today– one who also happens to have an executive producer credit.

Playing the troubled Etta James during a period of heavy addiction and depression, Beyoncé emotes and cries and seduces at all the right moments, but her character obscures what should have been the heart of the film. Muddy Waters, who was the first artist signed to Chess Records by his business partner and friend Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), deserved to be the main character here, and you can’t help but feel the movie was driven off the rails by its biggest star.

What’s there before Beyoncé takes over is good, though serviceable and a bit amateurish in the way average biopics can be. Narrating from the present for no particular reason, Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) tells how Waters, a sharecropper, left Mississippi for Chicago and teamed up with harmonica prodigy Little Walter (Columbus Short), a young man with an explosive temper and a penchant for anything that could get you in trouble. Chess moves from bar owner to record label impresario with Waters and Little Walter as his talent, and soon they’re making hits on black radio stations and even doing tours in the South. The movie’s title comes from Chess’s habit of buying his talent Cadillacs when they hit it big, as opposed to royalty checks. It’s one of Chess’s many shoddy business practices that doesn’t really amount to anything in Martin’s meandering script.

It’s not until Berry, with his duckwalking and country-western affectations, signs on to Chess that the label really blossoms, creating hits with white and black audiences alike. With fame comes its perils for pretty much everyone involved, including Waters’ multiple affairs behind the back of “his girl” (Gabrielle Union), Berry’s arrest and Little Walter’s multiple meltdowns. And that’s even before Etta James show up to tell Chess about her absent father, famed pool shark Minnesota Fats, and seduce him on the floor of her sad, empty house.

It’s hard to make the decadence-and-decline story of rock and roll feel new, and even though the figures in Cadillac Records are singing different songs, the tune is pretty much the same. The good parts mostly lie in the performances– Brody and Wright have an easy, sparring rapport, and Wright, Def and Short are all stellar in their vastly different roles. Including his endearing performance in this year’s Be Kind Rewind, Mos Def is becoming one of my favorite actors to simply spend time with onscreen. Wright, always good in smaller roles, would probably be getting all the attention here with his chameleonic performance, had a certain superstar not, quite literally, taken away the spotlight.

It’s unfair to blame all of Cadillac Records’ failings on Beyoncé, given the draggy pace of the script and the movie’s general unwillingness to deviate from general music biz stereotypes. But the movie might have retained its shaggy charm, and been able to make up for its many flaws, had it not morphed into yet another star turn for an actress who has yet to prove any real charisma onscreen.

call me blind but yo ass can’t see what number I am, don’t lose weight in your fingers trying to defend her, its plenty of hateful comments, but mine was far from that.

So there is a petition out against Beyonce performing in Jan for Obama.
This petition is not against her but it will give someone with credibility the opportunity to lend their music to a historic event.

http://www.thepetitionsit...eyonce-at-the-inaguration

Free speech is great
In 20 years are we really going to look back on these people as the classics?
I think not.(Kanye)
It’s funny because I have been saying this forever and then he comes out and says I wanna be Elvis???
How bout trying to do you

i dont know if beyonces gonna get the oscar, but you guys know that shes not gonna be in the same category as angelina jolie for changeling right? angelina has a starring role, beyonce would be nominated for best supporting actress.

I love Beyonce and i think in this clip alone she did a wonderful job…. please give credit where credit is due geesh! so what she’s not the best actress…. but with each movie she improves incredibly so shut up and enjoy her success. instead of hatin start congratulatin. i will be seeing the movie and i dont think shell be nominated for an oscar but i do think she’lll be noiminated and maybe even win a golden globe award, and Screen Actor’s Guild award. An oscar is very hard to come by… there are only a handfull of black actors that actually have one, Angela bassett, lawrence fishburene and eddie murphy and will smith dont even have one.

^^ She is only singing in this clip.. That’s her job. Of course she will do well.

You guys give Beyonce to much credit for doing what she is paid millions to do and that is sing and perform. All the Beyonce fans were hating on Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls and saying she shouldnt have won an Oscar, but here is big ass head Beyonce and everyone thinks her 5 minute performance was nice. Its not hard being in a movie that your family is producing, where are the real actresses at? This 30 year old chick needs to sit down before she is forced to sit down.

SHE BETTER PROMOTE THIS MOVIE, CAUSE HER CD FLOPPED LIKE A PANCAKE. SHE REPORTEDLY SOLD 480,000 IN THE FIRST WEEK, WHICH MEANT SHE REALLY ONLY SOLD 240,000 IN THE FIRST WEEK, CAUSE HER CD WAS SOLD AS A DOUBLE CD, AND THEREFORE EACH ONE WAS COUNTED TWICE. TECHNICALLY HER CD FLOPPED HARD. AND I CAN SEE WHY, CAUSE HER CD IS STRAIGHT GARBAGE.

BY THE WAY, YE IS SET TO SELL AT LEAST 600,000 IN IT’S FIRST WEEK. ISN’T BEYONCE SUPPOSE TO BE A BIGGER STAR/ BIGGER SELLER THAN HIM…LOL!!!!!!!!!!!