| | | Music by OutKast.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, Spanish, French
Grammy-winning OutKast members Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) and Antwan A. Patton (Big Boi) star in this dazzling story in the key of cool. At a sexy, sizzling nightclub, piano player Percival (Benjamin) lives life by the rules, while Rooster (Patton), the club's flashy lead performer, struts his stuff on the stage. But everything changes when greed, fame and murder threaten to destroy them and the place that ties them together. Critics are calling Idlewild "a fresh, hip and imaginative extravaganza that will dazzle and thrill audiences from beginning to end" (Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV).
"...a passionate, enthralling film that isn't afraid to take chances..." Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
"Idlewild is a romp, a ticket to rowdy good times." Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...everything a popular entertainment can offer." Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Editor's Note
André Benjamin and Antoine A. Patton--aka Andre 3000 and Big Boi of the hip-hop duo Outkast--star in this uproarious period piece, a comedy-drama-musical-action film set in Prohibition-era Virginia. Patton plays Rooster, the lead singer at a raucous, high-class all-black club called Church. Benjamin plays Percival, his best friend, who is the piano player at the club and the shy son of a funeral parlor owner (played by Ben Vereen). Terence Howard (HUSTLE AND FLOW) provides the menace as Trumpy, a vicious underling of Rooster's bootlegger father (Ving Rhames). Meanwhile, a beautiful singer (Paula Patton) comes to town and Percival finds himself falling in love--much to his terror, as he's afraid to leave the small community of Idlewild for the big city: Chicago, her next stop. As Rooster prepares for a showdown with Trumpy, Percival faces his fears, the band heats up, and the guns and songs come out for a big final night at the Church.This is clearly a labor of love for writer/director Brian Barber and the Outkast crew: a color-saturated adrenalin rush of witty dialogue, loving attention to period detail, boisterous and athletic dancing, and lots of eye-popping digital animation (such as Rooster's talking/singing whiskey flask). Appearing in a bevy of diamond-studded cameos and bit parts are Cicely Tyson, Macy Gray, Cedric the Entertainer, Patti LaBelle, Jackie Long, Faizon Love, Malinda Williams, and child rapper Bobb'e J. Thompson, who is hilarious--and demonstrates some very fancy footwork--as the young Rooster.
| Features | Audio: English, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Deleted Scenes: Rooster Takes Family Shopping, "Morris Brown" Performed By Big Boi, "Idlewild Blue" Performed By Andre 3000 | | Deleted Song: "The Clock" | | Dubbed: Spanish | | Feature Commentary With Director Bryan Barber | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 1/27/2009 |
| Running Time: 121 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2006 | | Catalog ID: 610264487 | | UPC: 00025192648724 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[A] madly soulful and enjoyable period musical....IDLEWILD is a romp, a ticket to rowdy good times..." 09/01/2006 p.49-50Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is a luscious ragtime musical....Surprisingly polished performances from the two leads grab the attention..." 10/01/2006 p.48 Uncut
3 stars out of 4 -- "OutKast's music is impressively varied and dynamic throughout." 10/01/2006 p.153 Box Office
"Especially exhilarating are the dance sequences, anachronistic fusions of hip-hop and swing...cut to a rhythm that emphasizes the moves on show." 10/01/2006 p.43 Sight and Sound
"[Barber] impresses most in purely visual moments. He creates an imaginative inner life for his protagonists." 10/01/2006 p.58-59 Ultimate DVD
3 stars out of 5 -- "The musical sequences are outstanding, with the exceptional choreography and flashy cinematography more than a match for the big numbers." 03/01/2007 p.97 ReelViews 7 of 10
The tone is schizophrenic, with the musical and fantasy elements not always meshing effectively with the harder-edged gangster components. In particular, the talking liquor flask and the animated musical notes are out-of-place. Idlewild is too serious, and ultimately too tragic, for magical realism to be at home. Despite its efforts to be fresh, Idlewild rarely escapes the orbit of familiarity. There's only so much the variances in style and tone can accomplish. In this case, they make the product diverting, but not special. There's nothing compelling about the characters or story, and that maroons Idlewild within the category of disposable entertainment. - James Berardinelli
FilmCritic.com 9 of 10
Not having read about the film and not being a fan of musicals - the very thought of Moulin Rouge made my bowels quake - I approached Idlewild with apprehension. I'm a fan of Outkast. I've always preferred Andre 3000's quirk and funk to Big Boi's gangsta shuffle, but I came out of Idlewild with a much richer appreciation for the duo's talent...Despite having a nearly all black cast, this is not a film about race. Nor is it about poverty or desperation. At the start of the film its uncanny posturing seems a bit trite, a bit too removed from the reality the audience expects. But by the end of the picture - and it is not a minute too long - I was completely under Idlewild's spell. I tapped my feet the entire ride home. - Keith Breese
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