RESPECT | MOVIE REVIEW | SYLVIA PARK

“Don’t say Aretha is making a comeback, because I’ve never been away!” ~ Aretha Franklin

Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin in .RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Quantrell D. Colbert. © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

The film ‘RESPECT’, directed by Liesl Tommy, is an emotional biopic that takes you back in time giving the audience an insight of the life of ‘Aretha Franklin’, played by Jennifer Hudson.

The film takes you on a journey spanning 20 years of Aretha’s life showing some of the good moments, the bad and the ugly, and the trials and tribulations she went through to become an international music legend whom we all know as the ‘queen of soul’.

Marlon Wayans stars as Ted White and Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in .RESPECT.. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert. © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

As a child, Aretha, or ‘Ree’ as her family and friends called her, was gifted with a voice that captivated audiences. She was known for singing in her father’s Baptist church and was often called upon from her bed on Saturday nights to sing and entertain her father’s party guests.

Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin and Forest Whitaker as her father C.L. Franklin in .RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Quantrell D. Colbert.
© 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

Aretha’s voice was a powerful tool during the civil rights movement where she travelled alongside her father and Martin Luther King Jnr, where her voice was used as a sense of empowerment for not only the black community, but more specifically a sense of empowerment for young black women.

Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington in .RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert. © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

Without giving too much of the storyline away, if you are a fellow queen Aretha Franklin fan like myself, I would highly recommend watching ‘RESPECT’. It comes with happiness, sadness, anger, angels and demons, but most importantly, it is an intimate insight into a great part of history.

Check times & dates for Hoyts HERE, then head to Sylvia Park for a delightful family movie to go with your popcorn.