12 Delayed 2021 Movies That Really Weren't Worth The Wait
8. Respect
In most years, you can find stale, Oscar-baiting biopics that feature a strong performance but otherwise don't leave a huge impression. It's a shame that Respect, a biopic of Aretha Franklin in the first 20 years of her career, fell into this category, since it's about such a beloved artist and since it was delayed quite a few times thanks to the pandemic.
Respect has its moments, is well-made and Jennifer Hudson's performance as Franklin is very good (though not deserving of an Oscar nomination) but it's let down by the many flaws in its screenplay.
It's far too long and unfocused, it lacks a knockout emotional punch and, like so many other similar biopics, it often feels like a Wikipedia article and tries to cover too much in its feature film framework, resulting in a movie that goes through a lot of things without adequately exploring them.
There's also that bizarre way in which it's heavily implied that Aretha became a teenage mother thanks to sexual abuse... and then this is literally never mentioned again.
It's a perfectly solid, three-star film but most will no doubt wish it could've been better. If this gets nominated for Best Picture, we riot.