16 years ago, Idlewild was released.
Longtime music video director, Bryan Barber wrote and directed the musical film and centered on Andre Benjamin aka André 3000 and Big Boi (Outkast).
The film followed a reticent piano player, named Percival (Benjamin), along with Rooster (Big Boi), his flamboyant lead performer and manager. The duo struggle to keep their speakeasy, in the Prohibition-era South, out of the hands of gangsters who want to take it over. And while the duo penned, produced and chiefly performed the music in the film, the movie’s soundtrack was contrasts the group’s hip-hop, funk, and soul sound against a story based on a juke joint in the fictional Depression-era town of Idlewild, Georgia in 1935.
Terrence Howard, Paula Jai Parker, Paula Patton, Cicely Tyson, Ben Vereen, and Patti LaBelle also starred in the film. Ving Rhames, Macy Gray, Faizon Love, Bruce Bruce, Malinda Williams, Jackie Long and Bill Nunn completed the films’ ensemble cast. Despite its mixed reviewed Idlewild went on to take in $12 million worldwide against
If you streamed Idlewild and are looking for something else just as good and in the same vein of the film, check out these movies to watch if you like Idlewild.
8 Miles
In 1995 Detroit, a talented rapper fights to prove himself on the local hip-hop scene. Eminem stars in this acclaimed drama loosely based on his life.
Stream: Netflix
Hustle & Flow
A Memphis pimp and pusher tries to redeem himself by becoming a rapper.
Stream: Rent or own VOD
West Side Story
A musical in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang members falls in love with a rival’s sister.
Stream: HBO Max
ATL
“ATL” tells the story of four teens coming of age in a working class Atlanta neighborhood where hip-hop music and roller skating rule.
Stream: Rent or own VOD
Burlesque
Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA.
Stream: FuboTV, Hulu, Sling TV
Fast Forward
Eight small-town teens travel to New York City for a one-in-a-million shot at stardom in a national dance competition.
Stream: Rent or own VOD
Serafina!
Sarafina (Leleti Khumalo) is a young black South African struggling for freedom during the apartheid. While she has remained relatively silent in her opposition of the racist government in her country, the movement to make the language of Afrikaans the official language in her school leads her to protest in the streets with her fellow students. Her anti-government views become even more intense when her favorite teacher (Whoopi Goldberg) is arrested for protesting.
Stream: The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime
Harlem Nights
During the 1930s, a New York City illegal gambling house owner and his associates must deal with strong competition, gangsters, and corrupt cops in order to stay in business.
Stream: HBO Max, Hulu
Mo’ Better Blues
It follows a period in the life of fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (played by Washington) as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career.
Stream: Starz, The Roku Channel, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Philo
Love Beats Rhyme
After enrolling in a college poetry course, a struggling rapper finds inspiration for her new voice through slam poetry.
Stream: Netflix
Purple Rain
A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.
Stream: HBO Max