One would expect that Idlewild is a movie which can and will only be appreciated by Outkast fans.
Aside from the music, this movie really has nothing to do with Outkast at all, except for the fact that the members of the band star in it and they use their music.
Idlewild, set in the roaring 20s, is about Percival (André Benjamin) and Rooster (Antwan A. Patton), a pair of friends who are extremely different. Percival’s childhood was sheltered, and he is still maintains familial obligations. On the other hand, Rooster was considered a bad example as a child, and was normally starting trouble. However, Rooster picked up entrepreneurial abilities quickly, though not always in the most orthodox fashions.
Percival works as a mortician in his family’s business by day. By night, he works as a pianist at Idlewild, a club which Rooster is involved with, and is run mostly by gangsters. Idlewild is a nighttime paradise with liquor flowing despite Prohibition. People dance freely and enjoy a show complete with live singers, dancers, and musicians, and occasionally get rowdy.
When a gorgeous new singer called Angel Davenport (Paula Patton) arrives at Idlewild, she immediately sets her sights on Percival. The two get closer as Percival helps her prepare for her debut and writes her music to sing.
Corruption is ablaze in Idlewild, and two managers are murdered early in the film, making Rooster the new manager. While Rooster inherits the club, he also inherits all of its previous owner’s debts.
Aside from Outkast, Idlewild features several other stars, some you may not expect to see in this film. Macy Gray is another singer at the club who rivals Angel Davenport. Patti LaBelle plays a diva who Angel Davenport idolizes. Finally, Broadway great, Ben Vereen (who is currently starring in Wicked as the Wizard) appears as Percival’s father.
Historical continuity is not clear in the film, considering rap was not particularly popular in the 1920s. But who cares? This isn’t the Outkast movie for nothing, and they reach a happy medium where their music is not incredibly annoying and fits in well with the story.
Idlewild can be compared to Moulin Rouge in that they take a musical story and blend in music which is not characteristic of the time period being portrayed. But while in Moulin Rouge, the characters sing lovingly to one another, this is not seen in Idlewild. Instead, characters sing in lieu of soliloquies. These musical soliloquies, however, seem more like a music video got mixed in accidentally then a part of the movie.
Essentially, Idlewild is like a more colorful version of Chicago, and not in the racial sense. From the sets to the costumes, Chicago revolves around the colors black and silver. Chicago’s spectacle allows the triple-threat actors to shine nearly as much as the sequins that adorn their costumes. The club, Idlewild, is a visual spectacle. The costumes of the dancers range from pink feathers to glitzy emerald green dresses. Rooster entertains the audience in fur coats and bright plaid suits. Chicago is set in an urban city, while Idlewild takes place in suburban Georgia.
Idlewild is no theatrical wonder- you will not be seeing this on Broadway anytime soon. There are a lot of confusing parts, such as the “music video soliloquies,” but Idlewild has enough elements to make everyone happy, from the gangster crime scenes to the love story to the musical sequences. All in all, better than expected.
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