After more than two hours of the new messy Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” it’s not clear what it means, wasting a lot of superb screen talent in the slapdash process.
This time it’s Jennifer Hudson portraying the Queen of Soul – a few months after Cynthia Erivo played Franklin in a National Geographic TV series – and you won’t be able to leave the theater without a lot of respect – yes, R-E-S-P-E-C-T – for Hudson’s abilities.
But a meandering, unfocused look at the first three decades of Franklin’s life will also leave you saying a little prayer for the filmmakers. After all, if you come for the queen, you best not miss. This is a miss.
Director Liesl Tommy, using a screenplay by Tracey Scott Wilson, offers a series of chronological vignettes to try to explain what fed Franklin, a preacher’s daughter from Detroit who would light up the world with her voice.
More Info ...https://www.lasgidiloaded.com/2021/08/review-franklin-biopic-respect-is-maybe.html