Even those with only a passing knowledge will know the more grim details of her life and while this exploration mentions some of those elements, it’s more a celebration of her musical identity. The behind the scenes view of songs coming together in the studio are particularly enlightening.

Jennifer Hudson delivers on the vocal histrionics and the few scenes that set out the difficult road she had to follow show her range there as well. The men in her life are given a fairly easy road as the reality of how awful they were is glossed over in pursuit of not being off-putting.

The lack of depth in the storytelling is evident early on and the filmmakers spotlight her musical endeavours first and foremost. Most completists know that the written word is almost always the provider of the most insight. The observations here place the music at the forefront and as a celebration of that part of her life, it excels.

Rob Hudson
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Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.

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RESPECT stars Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, and Mary J. Blige and will be released in cinemas 2021!
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Ms. Franklin landed over 100 singles in the Billboard charts, including 17 Top 10 pop singles and 20 No. 1 R&B hits, winning 18 Grammy Awards and was the first female to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Franklin’s reinvention of Otis Redding’s “Respect” as a feminist anthem transformed her into an icon of the civil rights and women’s movements. Her cultural impact was felt throughout her career, from her singing at Dr. Martin Luther King’s memorial service to performing at three presidential inaugurations.  In addition to “Respect,” her countless hits including “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Do Right Woman – Do Right Man,” and “Think” were beloved around the world and will be featured in the motion picture.

Starring as Aretha Franklin is Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls, Sing, Cats). The film will be the directorial debut of Tony nominated stage director Liesl Tommy and will be produced by Scott Bernstein (Straight Outta Compton) and Harvey Mason Jr (Executive Music Producer on Sing, Pitch Perfect 3, Fifty Shades Freed) . from a script by Academy Award winner screen-writer Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise).

Respect will be released in Australian cinemas October 29, 2020!
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