'Respect' review: Aretha Franklin biopic is flat and formulaic

There is a moment in "Respect," a biopic featuring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin, that finds the singer in FAME Studios at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1967. Sitting at a piano, Franklin tries to lead an all-white band — rare for a Black artist at the time — into livening up a dull song. They experiment with tempo, adding a hot guitar lick here, a roadhouse Wurlitzer there, until finally it falls together into something fantastic: "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)," the smoky-sexy hit that helped turn the little-known Franklin into the Queen of Soul.

Alas, it’s one of the few magical moments in an otherwise flat and formulaic film. Yes, Hudson was hand-picked for the role by Franklin herself before her death, and yes, the actor turns in a solid performance that makes good use of her strong voice. (Hudson has done this kind of thing before, winning an Oscar for playing a thinly-veiled Florence Ballard, of the Supremes, in 2006’s fictional "Dreamgirls.") Nevertheless, for a movie that so clearly appreciates Franklin’s musical artistry and craft, "Respect" is stunningly tone-deaf to the creaky cliches of the biopic.

That’s too bad, because director Liesl Tommy (Broadway’s "Eclipsed") and writer Tracey Scott Wilson (also a theater veteran) have something important to say. Most of us know Franklin as an American icon who intertwined Black gospel music, the Civil Rights Movement and pop stardom. But by delving into her lesser-known history of being the victim of domestic and sexual abuse, "Respect" tries to highlight the empowering messages in such songs as "Think," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," and of course the film’s namesake anthem. This it does, though not in the most artful ways.

Take Franklin’s first husband, the charming Ted White (a compelling Marlon Wayans). Not until nearly halfway into the film do we learn his name, and shortly after he suddenly transforms into a vicious abuser. These scenes ought to ring true, but they flip-flop so erratically that they feel contrived. Ditto for Franklin’s descent into alcohol: One minute she’s at the top of her game, the next she’s writhing on the floor with a bottle. Elsewhere, the film avoids glaring questions, namely: Did anyone in Franklin’s family have much to say when she became pregnant at the age of 12?

There are some fine performances here, notably from Forest Whitaker as the Rev. C.L. Franklin, the singer’s deeply flawed father (and promoter); Marc Maron as a lovable Jerry Wexler, the Atlantic Records exec who turned the struggling pop starlet into a global superstar; and Mary J. Blige as the imperious jazz diva Dinah Washington (a Franklin family friend). Tituss Burgess, as the pianist Rev. James Cleveland, nearly saves the movie with a beautiful speech before Franklin’s live recording of "Amazing Grace," the 1972 gospel album that would catapult her into legend status.

"Respect" closes with a clip of the real Franklin singing "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, a powerhouse performance that brought the crowd, including President Barack Obama, to its feet. It’s a fitting coda, but it also reminds us that we just spent two-plus hours watching a mere likeness. To quote another legendary soul singer: Ain’t nothing like the real thing.