FILMS

It’s in the recreations of great musical moments that Respect comes alive

You expect biopics of musical legends to be awestruck, but this fictionalised life of Aretha Franklin suffers from reverence rather than respect. Starring Jennifer Hudson as the late soul legend, it depicts a woman struggling to find her true voice, and then, once she’s found it, to free herself from the oppressive men in her life – her authoritarian preacher father (Forest Whitaker) and abusive husband and manager Ted White (Marlon Wayans). Narratively, it comes across as melodrama, punctuated by earnest confrontations and scenes in which Aretha’s mentors impart sound advice (“Find the songs that move you”). Along the way, it has its share of ‘eureka it’s a hit’ moments: Aretha and her sisters perfecting “Respect” at the piano, “I Never Loved A Man” suddenly taking, which is presented here as the triumphant redemptive moment of a profoundly troubled life.