Very entertaining. Alot of story lines, but if you can keep up, it's a great movie. Andre Benjamin delivers a dramatic music & acting performance. His music scenes were my favorite.

The beginning of this film is enticing…a narrator describes his Childhood, background music pure good jazz, and photography in black & White transforming into colour, and then a beautiful butterfly takes us into the life and day dreams of a boy named Percival is unfolding in front of our eyes. The film commemorates the lifestyle and culture of black people in the US in early 20th century. The photography and special effects in this film are superb. I am still not sure about who is who with a few of the peripheral cast members. But quite a few of them gave wonderful performances: André Benjamin who plays Percival Jenkins gives a touching performance, and so were Big Boi who plays Rooster/Antwan A. Patton and the beautiful Paula Patton who plays Angel Davenport, and it does not hurt that she is exceptionally beautiful, Ben Vereen who comes in as Percival Senior, and Terrence Howard as Trumpy. In Trumpy's case the paradox is the soft voice as against harsh action and character. I don't know the reason why this film did not get more attention. I for one am glad it was put on TV if only for the wonderful music, dance Routines, for which I cannot find any credit; and exceptionally good Acting cast. The decor, costumes, and photography in this film are exquisite. The collection of clocks is an added nice touch. It seems that the director Bryan Barber, who has had experience in directing music videos, had a few shortfalls when it came to directing a full feature. Some scenes were too lengthy, and one sex scene I could have done without. I even slumbered away in the middle of the film and had to re-watch it, since I felt it was unique and deserved a complete attention. I wonder what another director would have done with this interesting story and cast.

Two long-life best friends Percival (Andre Benjamin) and Rooster (Antwan A. Patton) works in a sizzling night club called "The Church". Pervical works in his father's (Ben Vereen) morgue by day and by night, he is the piano player at the club and Rooster is the club's flashy lead performer. But things are slowly changing, when Rooster's close friend gangster Spat (Ving Rhames) and Rooster's sleazy club owner Ace (Faizon Love) is killed by a vicious, double crossing gangster named Trumpy (Terrence Howard). Rooster is forced to take the club and he owns money to Trumpy. But Percival starts slowly falling in love with an very attractive, beautiful sing named Angel Davenport (Paula Patton). While Percival shares his songs with Angel, the club starts getting more attention. While Trumpy gets increasingly greedy and violent. Rooster has to find a way to bring back his life and his family together.Written and Directed by Bryan Barber (Who directed music videos for a living) made an ambitious, unique and fascinating drama set in the Depression-era. Surprisingly, "Idlewild" is not a musical. Despite some musical numbers, written and produced by OutKast. Benjamin is well cast in the lead as the lonely and shy piano player. Patton does an good job as Percival's friend. Paula Patton is lovely to watch, although her singing voice is dubbed. But it is Howard as the criminal-minded gangster, who steals the show.DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an strong Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD includes an deleted scene, an deleted song sequence and two music videos. Surprisingly, there is no behind the scenes featurette or an running commentary track by the filmmakers. "Idlewild" is an intentionally anachronistic movie. The feature has an strong visual presence, breathtaking dance sequences and an morality story. "Idlewild" is a very underrated movie with strong cinematography by Pascal Rabaud ("The End of Violence", "Paris, I Love You") and fine performances. If you haven't seen this film yet, it might surprise you over. Super 35. (****/*****).

This visually splendid production is a wannabe musical stew of CABARET, COTTON CLUB, LADY SINGS THE BLUES, STORMY WEATHER and MOULIN ROUGE, and about 20 other musical films equally handsomely produced, exquisitely photographed,choreographed, dressed, directed and cast... except for one massive fatal flaw: an insane level of head smashing violence! What is it in this ugly 'culture of death' that is now permeating everything in American films? ......here is a film all dressed up and ready to dance and entertain in a clever slick manner, and it derails itself into the most appalling insulting scenes of one-on-one face pulverizing, blood splattering, head crushing bullet riddled violence. I just sat watching this could-be-terrific gangster musical version of Moulin Rouge only to see this rotten stupid cruelty ruin what was trying to be a great snazzy 30s dance musical.... the music numbers are great and I shall only keep the DVD to show friends these: the "Bowtie" number early in is terrific... and several other brief ones are all really good..... and how to I incredulously tell you this: there is a spectacular, jaw-dropping massive number, a combo of the finale from Stormy Weather and Born To Dance... and guess what happens: the credits are run all over the top of it: you actually cannot enjoy the dynamite spectacle because: there is words plastered all over it>>>>>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... Never in all my years of filmgoing have I ever seen a film so sabotaged by inept decisions. What a waste, Whoever decided to pulverize the film with violence and run the credits over the top of what is arguably the most dazzling dance number seen in a film in the last 10 years... well they should be relegated to Adam Sandler or Eli Roth films and chained to a chair there. What an absolute waste of talent and production is IDLEWILD. Irritating and saddening. Who would decide to film a massive dance number and hide it under the end credits? How to drive the audience wild with irritation! So somewhere with blood slopped all over it and marred by punching, shooting and crushing is a superbly crafted production... and when it really kicks into gear: it has words like: "Payroll Clerk: Fred Bloggs" plastered all over it..... ARRGGGHHHH! Ruined.