By the end of Idlewild, some ironic thematic twists come nicely into play, but they're not enough to rescue a scenario that's been both too predictable and too weird for much too long.
Comment
08/25/06
Idlewild (2006)
48
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:122
Fresh:58
Rotten:64
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Idlewild has some truly breathtaking moments, but borrows too heavily from other similar movies, and the disjointed script is not worthy of talents involved.
Reviews for Idlewild
The problem with many musicals is that they focus so much on the music, they skimp on the plot. The problem with Idlewild is that it skimps on both.
08/25/06
Imbues tried-and-true movie musical archetypes with sly but never campy contemporary flourishes, in a way that would make Baz Luhrmann proud.
08/25/06
Easily the most wildly innovative film of the year, despite the dull title, Bryan Barber's dynamo is a fusion musical.
08/25/06
OutKast's much-ballyhooed Prohibition-era musical is a dense, confusing jumble of old-school and new-school, gangster and gangsta, that never pauses long enough to tell a cogent story.
08/25/06
Idlewild is so eccentric it remains compellingly watchable.
08/25/06
Those who do not succumb to the movie's fantasy will dismiss it as an extended music video. That's not an unfair criticism, but it doesn't make the film any less enjoyable.
08/25/06
As expected, the soundtrack is the highlight of Idlewild. Unfortunately, the film's rather thin plot keeps getting in the way of the music.
08/25/06
Idlewild left me wanting to see more from everyone involved.
08/25/06
Welcome to Church, the speakeasy in the often vivacious, sometimes silly, musical Idlewild.
08/25/06
Despite some visual sparkle and musical razzle-dazzle, Idlewild is a messy movie.
08/25/06
So playful and vibrant that even when it stumbles, as it does fairly frequently, it's still an enjoyable spectacle.
08/25/06
In the end, the saddest thing about Idlewild is that all of the pieces were present for a very good film.
08/25/06
Top CriticAt once magical and a mess, this musical marks a bold first foray into cinema for hip-hop duo OutKast.
08/25/06
A sludgy, badly photographed, poorly edited bungle whose musical numbers never pop.
08/25/06
Between the gangsters and the showgirls, the gorgeous costumes and the wowser production numbers, Idlewild has just about everything a popular entertainment can offer. It also has a soul, and that comes free with the price of a ticket.
08/25/06
Sharp costuming and set design can't disguise this two-hour music video from OutKast.
08/25/06
there’s nothing worse than a fun movie getting too serious at the end, especially when it leaves the audience filing out of the theaters in such a downer mood
08/25/06
Even in a period piece set before such cameras were available, André and Big Boi can still shake it like a Polaroid picture.
08/25/06
Call me crazy, but hip-hop floor shows weren't an especially common sight in the 1930s Deep South.
08/25/06
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