Movie · 2021 · Drama, Music, History · 2h 25m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.2/10 (19.7K ratings)
Find out what it means.
Overview
The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.2/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Metacritic: 61
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Liesl Tommy
Production
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bron Studios, One Community, Chislehurst Entertainment, Harvey Mason Media, Glickmania
Cast
Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Skye Dakota Turner, Heather Headley, Leroy McClain, Lodric D. Collins, Brenda Nicole Moorer, Brandon Gilpin, Tangela Large, Albert Jones, Myk Watford, Gilbert Glenn Brown
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished but familiar music biopic carried by Jennifer Hudson’s powerhouse performance. It captures Aretha Franklin’s voice and presence beautifully, but the storytelling is often rushed, conventional, and overstuffed.
Best for
fans of performance-driven biopics
viewers who want a strong lead performance over formal innovation
Aretha Franklin admirers
audiences who enjoy studio-era music drama and gospel-to-pop rise stories
Skip if
you want a bold or unconventional biopic structure
you’re tired of cradle-to-stardom musician movies
you need a tightly focused, emotionally layered screenplay
you prefer films that dig deeply into the artist’s interior life rather than covering career milestones
Overview
Respect is at its best when it lets Jennifer Hudson sing and inhabit Aretha Franklin with force and authority. The film understands the scale of Franklin’s talent and gives her enough room to feel like a legend in motion, especially in the performance scenes where the music does the emotional heavy lifting.
Worth noting
The problem is that the movie often feels like it is moving from milestone to milestone rather than building a fully shaped dramatic arc. Important relationships and personal wounds are introduced, then hurried past, which leaves the film feeling more like a highlight reel than a complete portrait.
Bottom line
Even so, the craftsmanship and central performance keep it watchable, and for viewers who mainly want a respectful, crowd-pleasing tribute, it delivers. It is less a revelation than a competent showcase, but a very strong one whenever Hudson is on screen or at the microphone.
Top Letterboxd reviews
jonathan fujii (2★) · 585 likes
Dear Heavenly Father,
I’m gonna need so much more strength if I have to see more mediocre singer biopic movies. The real life artists deserve better. Please help me.
In Jesus name I pray, amen.
☆ sophie ☆ (2.5★) · 367 likes
Have you lost your mind?Maybe I found it
There is no doubt that Jennifer Hudson's performance as Aretha Franklin was breathtaking and absolutely phenomenal. I've always been fascinated by Aretha Franklin and I'm glad they found the right actress to portray her, however, the film's depiction of her story felt rushed and disjointed. The film was more of a collection of vignettes than a complete story. Characters appeared and disappeared, and stories were left incomplete. It was difficult to… more
cleansing my soul of addiction🦋 (1★) · 364 likes
the most vapid trash i've seen in a very long time (and i saw the billie holiday movie!!!), pointless and offensive in more ways than i could've expected, anyone who thinks this is "just another formulaic biopic" needs to reconsider just how nefarious this bullshit actually is. aretha was not the first—nor will there ever be a last—Black icon / pioneer / revolutionary to have been disrespected and disregarded by hollywood during their life and this is basically the cinematic… more the most vapid trash i've seen in a very long time (and i saw the billie holiday movie!!!), pointless and offensive in more ways than i could've expected, anyone who thinks this is "just another formulaic biopic" needs to reconsider just how nefarious this bullshit actually is. aretha was not the first—nor will there ever be a last—Black icon / pioneer / revolutionary to have been disrespected and disregarded by hollywood during their life and this is basically the cinematic… more
Kevin Y (3★) · 190 likes
Bold of her to play Aretha Franklin after Cats
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (2★) · 174 likes
Many actors seem destined to play historical figures, and Jennifer Hudson's casting as Aretha Franklin seems like a no-brainer. If there's one thing to praise about this movie, it's that she gives her all to the role of this icon, nailing most of the singing and fully embodying this icon.
Unfortunately, despite her efforts, she appears to be the only one. In this case, the script reads less like a narrative and more like a checklist the director is trying… more