Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- flamboyant
- witty
- romantic
- music film night
- stylized cinema night
What critics said
Critics found striking musical sequences and inventive visual flourishes but judged the hybrid concept and disjointed script uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Prohibition-era setting is paired with hip-hop-inflected songs, choreography, and performers André 3000 and Big Boi.
Breathtaking dance sequences, close-ups, and idiosyncratic flourishes give the speakeasy world a deliberately extravagant style.
Rooster must defend the club from gangsters while Percival faces obligations to his father and love for Angel.
The story unfolds around a Southern speakeasy where performers, managers, gangsters, and family members collide.
Films like Idlewild, and why
Moulin Rouge!
stylized musical spectacle, heightened performance sequences, and a hybrid of crime drama with theatrical visual excess
Chicago
prohibition-era organized crime, jazz-inflected musical storytelling, and an ensemble caught between artistic ambition and criminal power
The Cotton Club
african american musical performance, period crime elements, and charismatic performers navigating loyalty and survival
Dreamgirls
visually inventive musical drama combining music-industry energy, family obligations, and personal ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- Bryan Barber
- Release Date
- 2006-08-25
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (70)
Cast
- André 3000
- Big Boi
- Paula Patton
- Terrence Howard
- Faizon Love
- Malinda Williams
- Cicely Tyson
- Macy Gray
- Ben Vereen
- Bruce Bruce
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Idlewild about?
- In a Prohibition-era Southern speakeasy, two musician partners fight to preserve their club and their futures amid gangster pressure, romantic conflict, and artistic ambition.
- What is Idlewild like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Idlewild as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Idlewild violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Idlewild as moderate.
- What did critics think of Idlewild?
- Critics found striking musical sequences and inventive visual flourishes but judged the hybrid concept and disjointed script uneven.
- Which films are like Idlewild?
- Films with a similar feel include Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, The Cotton Club, and Dreamgirls.
- How long is Idlewild?
- Idlewild runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Idlewild?
- In United States, Idlewild streams on Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel.
