so much of "Respect" is about Aretha wanting more - and so desiring to work for it - and it's disheartening that this well-meaning exploration of her legacy seems doomed to inspire that same hunger in its audience
Liesl Tommy, delivers a slick film that hits the key points in Aretha Franklin's ascent and moves at an expedient pace; As Franklin, Hudson burrows into the vulnerability of the singer, and later the strength that allows her to become a force of nature
Jennifer Hudson stuns with her performance singing and inhabiting the life of musical royalty, even if the new Aretha Franklin biopic leans conventionally commonplace
it's a dutiful but disappointingly shallow account of Aretha Franklin 's early artistic evolution; "Respect" generally hits the notes it needs to, both musically and historically, but comes up short in what should be the most crucial ingredient — soul
Review rate : C+by Mary Sollosi[Entertainment Weekly ]
alas, the film itself has grace but is not really amazing at all; After more than two hours of the new messy Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” it’s not clear what it means, wasting a lot of superb screen talent in the slapdash process
a powerful account of self-actualization spanning 20 formative years, Liesl Tommy's biopic is also an intimate gift of love, rich in complexity, spirituality, Black pride and feminist grit rooted not in didactic speeches but in authentic experience
a perfectly serviceable biopic with good performances, which goes some way to explaining Franklin’s genius as a musician and a star, but one that isn’t nearly as transcendent as its subject deserves
"Respect" is anchored by a soulful Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin; When Hudson is singing her heart out, not so much approximating Aretha’s voice as channeling her soul, the effect is transportive: All the narrative clutter seems to clear away..
by Charles Bramesco [The Guardian ]
by Brian Truitt [USA Today ]
by Mark Kennedy [Associated Press ]
