With legions of fans and a status as the Queen of Soul, the late Aretha Franklin was and is a beloved icon. Fans have eagerly awaited her 2020 biopic, which finally makes it to theaters this week after dealing with a COVID delay.

Starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin, “Respect” boasts fantastic musical remakes (as expected) and a solid cast that takes us from Franklin’s childhood at age 10 to the making of her 1972 live gospel album at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.  

The movie marks Broadway director Liesl Tommy’s first venture into movie directing. More on that later.

Aretha Franklin’s life story has great moments of interest. Beginning with a young Aretha’s (played well by Skye Dakota Turner) solos at her father’s large church, Franklin’s rise to stardom is systematically unpacked for the audience. We see her domineering father, played by a controlled and articulate Forrest Whitaker, run subtle roughshod over a family that no longer includes Aretha’s mother, played by the elegant Audra McDonald. Her mother, who has decided to flee from the abuse and control, is the first person to tell young Aretha not to take any crap from a man.

Her interactions with family friends Dinah Washington, Sam Cooke and others is almost a footnote, with a fun and campy Mary J. Blige portraying Washington.  Although she was a tireless civil rights activist, very little time is spent on Franklin’s work or her friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. The moments of interest are simply not made to be interesting.

Hudson certainly has honed her craft since her “American Idol” days, but even her room-filling presence and supernatural voice cannot overshadow some of the flat acting and weak interactions between characters. Hudson has the acting chops for this role, but for some reason it doesn’t seem like it. Indeed, it almost seems as if Hudson has been told to hold back while portraying Franklin; maybe her voice is supposed to be enough. Even with seasoned performances from Whitaker and McDonald, in addition to admirable work from Marlon Wayans as Franklin’s first husband and a scene stealing Marc Maron as record exec Jerry Wexler, much of the talented cast simply isn’t given enough to do – nor are they given enough solid material to present in the first place.

The real star of the movie, of course, is the music. Hudson’s remakes of Franklin’s music, from her attempts at jazz in her early days to the hits we all know and love, are mesmerizing and wonderful. Audiences are left wanting more and there simply isn’t enough. Perhaps the two hours and 25 minutes could have been better organized. The homage to the real Franklin as the credits roll is also one of the best parts of the show.

Unfortunately, “Respect” is yet another rock star biopic in which we see the traumas of childhood, the struggle to gain fame, the crash and burn, and the reinventing. The movie follows the same, tired script that many bios do. However, this movie adds the irritating feminist empowerment vibe usually found in most of today’s Disney movies. In addition, and not as underlying as the feminist thing, is the suggestion that Franklin’s rise to prominence and success came only after she decided to end the oppression of the males in her life. We also have familiar, modern-day political undertones that seem to plague many scripts these days – as if the audience is too dumb to notice. Can’t we just get an honest, well-depicted story? Come on. 

It became clear early on that this movie would not be an honest or accurate portrayal of the real Aretha Franklin. What we wind up with is a guarded story in which we see neat little scenes with only a glimpse into anything that may have otherwise changed the direction of this movie. We are left with a film that’s more about Franklin’s celebrity than the real lady. Maybe that’s how she  would have wanted it.

It’s not necessary to see this one on the big screen, but I highly recommend the soundtrack. I’m very disappointed and sorry I can’t give this movie a better grade, but the movie is simplified, lacks depth and is not well directed. Hudson’s singing and her work ethic, as well as the great music, are the only reasons I give this picture a very generous C+.

“Respect” opens Friday in theaters with a PG-13 rating.