This is a Broadway musical brought to film, and never rises above that gestalt. That is, if you like the Broadway of its era (and frankly, I don't), you'll like this movie; but if you're looking for a great film, what you have here is basically just an expanded recording of the play.
That in itself doesn't sink th film - Chicago was also merely a recording of the Broadway production, really, but I admit the production itself was strong enough to pull that off.
But here the problem is unavoidable - great performances, strong characters, interesting story, solid work behind the camera - and the most boring music to spew off a Broadway stage in many a year.
If thy were going to do a compressed fantasy history of '60s soul, why did they not get the original music? This stuff is an embarrassing Broadway version of the mediocre soul of the 1970s. Where is the chunk, the drive, the wickedly seductive melodies that made '60s soul popular enough to build legends? At some points in this movie, I expected Spinal Tap to step out and take a bow.
With some of the worst songs cut, I could recommend this, but not as it stands now.
That in itself doesn't sink th film - Chicago was also merely a recording of the Broadway production, really, but I admit the production itself was strong enough to pull that off.
But here the problem is unavoidable - great performances, strong characters, interesting story, solid work behind the camera - and the most boring music to spew off a Broadway stage in many a year.
If thy were going to do a compressed fantasy history of '60s soul, why did they not get the original music? This stuff is an embarrassing Broadway version of the mediocre soul of the 1970s. Where is the chunk, the drive, the wickedly seductive melodies that made '60s soul popular enough to build legends? At some points in this movie, I expected Spinal Tap to step out and take a bow.
With some of the worst songs cut, I could recommend this, but not as it stands now.