Adrian Brody has managed to dazzle many a woman with his modestly-sized schnoz, thereby blind-siding them so he can then attack their lips. It worked on Halle Berry and Naomi Watts – and now he is at it again with Beyonce Knowles!

The independent woman is at the acting game again, this time alongside Brody who plays Leonard Chess, founder of Chess Records. The film tells the story of the rise of Chess Records and its owner along with its first artist Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright). Other notable artists join the two in the studios, including; Chuck Berry (Mos Def), The Rolling Stones and Etta James (Beyonce).

Such an ensemble of talent only makes what’s on offer here feel all the more bloated. Each character comes with such a history and rich, complex background – made more interesting by the era of racial hate and prejudice – that it all becomes unfocused.

So it falls on the two leads – Leonard and Muddy – to drive the proceedings and although the two do an admirable job, their stories feel rushed amidst the flurry of a bolstering cast. Muddy is the more interesting of the two – over the decades his relationship with his wife, his best friend Little Walter (Columbus Short) and Leonard give the story the much needed dramatic edge.

Although all the supporting characters give fleeting, outstanding performances, Beyonce gives the most notable turn. Getting beneath Etta James’ skin would be a tough task for a new actress but she proves that her equally impressive performance in Dreamgirls was no fluke.

Unfortunately the film that all these intriguing, charismatic musicians exist within is a disappointment. While Wright and Brody do their best to steer the story forward, ultimately they’re not as interesting as everyone else. The rise of the blues, rock n’ roll and human rights makes for compelling viewing and the runtime only skims the surface. There is a bigger, better film within this but as it is it remains a decent biopic with a great soundtrack to boot!

Extras:

A fair attempt at a commentary from the writer/director and a Beyonce circle-jerk of a behind-the-scenes documentary as well as another on the design of the film.

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We'd go with 'multi-talented'. Which, we know, is two words as well. We haven't thought this through. Anyway, Beyonce's staggering versatility has just been exercised again because, following her much-hyped turn in 1960s period musical Dreamgirls, Beyonce has decided to branch out and star in 1960s period musical Cadillac Records.

They're different, really they are. Mainly because Beyonce is a producer on Cadillac Records so she gets to make sure that nobody casts sodding Jennifer Hudson to steal all her thunder again.

We used to think that we were the only people in the whole world whose lives hadn't been turned into a biopic. That'll chance in the autumn when Hecklerspray: The Movie is released – starring Karl Howman from Brush Strokes as Lee Ryan and Michael Bay as himself – but in the last few years alone Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Edith Piaf, Bod Dylan, Ian Curtis, Idi Amin and Jesus have all had their lives put on film.

There's obviously one giant name missing from that list, though – the woman who sung the song on the Diet Coke advert from 12 years ago, or Etta James as her mother called her. However, Beyonce is about to put rest to that by producing and starring in a film all about Etta James, as MTV reports:

The "Irreplaceable" singer will star as legendary blues singer Etta James in Darnell Martin's "Cadillac Records," according to The Hollywood Reporter. She will also serve as one of the movie's executive producers. "Cadillac Records" will follow the life of influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess — who ran the legendary record company with his brother, Phil, through the 1950s and '60s — and the label's lineup of musical icons, including James, Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright), Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) and Little Walter (Columbus Short). Oscar winner Adrien Brody is scheduled to play Chess.

It's good to see that Beyonce's starting to learn her lessons after failing to win any major awards for Dreamgirls – especially since Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar and Beyonce didn't even get nominated. You see, Beyonce's mistake was to play a singer who was only heavily alluded to be a real person – if she plays an actual singer who really existed, she'll easily win an Oscar, because you always win an Oscar if you play a real singer.

And Etta James certainly has a life worth making a film about. She toured with Little Richard as a child, she developed a drug habit, she went a bit mad, she got massively overweight and she did songs for both Diet Coke and posh car adverts. Whereas you've probably only done two or three of those things, loser.

Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to see how Beyonce chooses to play Etta James. After all, a bit star like Beyonce will want to put a little bit of herself into the role. And if that's the case, we can't wait for the scene in Cadillac Records where Etta James smashes her face to pieces on some stairs and then offends an entire religion with her tits.

Read more:

Beyonce To Portray Legendary Blues Singer Etta James In 'Cadillac Records' - MTV