The Cotton Club (1984)

The Cotton Club is routinely eclipsed by the controversies that surrounded its tumultuous production, but the film itself offers abundant pleasures that should not be overlooked. If Apocalypse Now represents the triumph of director Francis Coppola's perilous ambition, then The Cotton Club represents the ungainly glory of uncontrolled genius, as brilliant as it is out of its depth. As an upscale homage to classic gangster films it's frequently astonishing, cramming a thick novel's worth of plot and characters into 129 minutes, gloriously serviced by impeccable production design, elegant cinematography, and stylistic flourishes that show Coppola at the top of his game.

What The Cotton Club lacks is cohesion. As written by Coppola and novelist William Kennedy (then enjoying the peak of his critical acclaim), the movie struggles to exceed the narrative scope of The Godfather, but its multiple early-'30s plot lines fail to form any strong connective tissue. It's three (or four) movies in one, with cornet player Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere, playing his own jazzy solos) drifting from one story to the next--loving a young, ambitious vamp (Diane Lane, with whom Gere shares precious little chemistry), enjoying the success of a hotshot hoofer (Gregory Hines), and protecting his brazen bother (Coppola's then-newcomer nephew, Nicolas Cage) from the deadly temper of mob boss Dutch Schultz (James Remar). Bob Hoskins and Fred Gwynne also score big in grand supporting roles, but The Cotton Club is perhaps best appreciated for its meticulous re-creation of Harlem's Cotton Club heyday, and the brilliant music (Ellington, Calloway, etc.) that brought rhythm to gangland's rat-a-tat-tat. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

 23 Years later I can give it one more star OR "What not to do in Film Making 101"
What is THE COTTON CLUB about?....well,since the first time I saw it in 1984 I have seen countless films on crime lords of the 1920's,PBS Specials on Prohibition,read numerous books on the subjects of Broadway Theatre and Vaudeville as well as The Great Depression; SO...THE COTTON CLUB is about ALL of that!!!!!One fact for sure; The Harlem New York "Cotton Club" DID exist as the premiere place for stars to appear and for stars to be made.
A class could be taught called "What not to do in film making" and this film could be a whole semester topic (and No term paper would be thoroughly correct!)
This film NEVER settles in to any one of these mammoth subjects that alone contains enough material for a 12-Part mini-series by Ken Burns.Instead, the Robert Evans produced (see his autobiographical documentary THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE) Francis Coppola written and directed "debacle" still is one of the most singularly made hatchet-jobs that Hollywood ever released.It is hard to divorce all of the controversy that surrounded the production of this film,because the "turf war" that this film was embroiled definitely translated to the screen....and NOT in a good way either.The fact that this film was so over budget and behind schedule shows in the incomprehensible narrative that exists in THE COTTON CLUB.Instead, we have lots of quick edits and plots and subplots and characters in an out with not a single follow-through.This film is a study in frustration.It is 129 minutes of crammed material shoved into and edited into "a film" that needed to "get released" or investors would lose money.
I chuckled when I consulted IMDB.COM ; no one has been brave (or stupid) enough to put a plot synopsis.Who really can? One would have to write a book that no one would comprehend; and it would be longer than a James Michener novel.
If you want to see "Godfatheresque" crime shootings,it is in THE COTTON CLUB;if you want to see great dancing and singing,it is in THE COTTON CLUB (albeit so edited and interrupted that there is not ONE SINGLE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE remaining whole and in tact);if you want great acting?....well, the scenes are so short and abrupt that one cannot really critique the actors.Diane Lane was nominated for a "Razzie" as worst actress,which to me seems a little harsh in light of my recent viewing, but that gives you an idea of the numerous problems in this film.
I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this film to anyone who has not seen it. WHY??? The curiosity value,alone,is worth the price of admission (or rental or cheap purchase); this film does merit that and more,but overall it is a horrible,discombobulated mess.
There is one great line from Diane Lane's character Vera Cicero: "You have the style of a bowl of turnips!" Turnips are bland in color, which THE COTTON CLUB is not; that they stink to High Heaven, THE COTTON CLUB does! October 9, 2007

 Great talent somewhat wasted by a messy plot--can anybody help me write this review?
The Cotton Club just plain tries too hard. It's a movie about gangsters; it's a movie about a love affair between two black people who work as dancers at The Cotton Club; it's a movie about one newcomer gangster who falls in love with a gangster's girlfriend; it's a movie about...oh, well, you get the idea.

The music is wonderful; and I admired the superb talent of Gregory Hines when he dances in this movie. Not only does Richard Gere actually play his own cornet solos; he also acts very convincingly as Dixie Dwyer, a young man who just by chance saves a gangster's life and gets the reward of being inducted into the mob. And what a mob--Fred Gwynne as a mobster, Diane Lane as the girlfriend of gangster "Dutchman" Dutch Schultz (James Remar) and Nicolas Cage as Gere's younger brother who gets swept up by the mob and who ultimately pays a hefty price for it.

The plot twists and turns as Dixie (Richard Gere) and his mobster friends try to manage the Harlem numbers business--and Dixie even winds up spending some time in Hollywood acting in a movie within a movie after he is noticed by Gloria Swanson at The Cotton Club. The mobsters fight over territory in Harlem; and there's a fair amount of violence in this film. If graphic violence makes you uncomfortable, I would suggest a different movie for tonight. It's also interesting to follow the relationship between Dixie and "Dutchman's" girlfriend played by Diane Lane.

At the same time that the mob world spins around, there is a subplot between the two black dancers who work at The Cotton Club. Gregory Hines and Lonnette McKee have good chemistry between them. Unfortunately the two plots never really intertwine; and I think it would have been a better movie if the production team let go of some of the complications and twists in the plot, let go of a couple of characters to focus more on the remaining principle characters and then tied the two plots together. That's a serious disappointment; and with the corny ending (I won't specify what you'll get) it just plain lets me down.

The cinematography reflects good judgment; and the choreography is excellent. I loved the lighting and the dancing scenes in The Cotton Club; and the set design reflects a lot of care, too. It's too bad that the quality of the set design and choreography don't carry over into the movie's plot. Sigh.

If you like entertainment that allows you to just relax and be taken wherever a movie takes you with its plot, then you very well may enjoy this film. The superlative dance numbers enhance the quality of this film, too. Don't be surprised, however, if midway through the film you realize there's just too much action going on. I agree with the majority of the other reviewers when they write that there are too many "principle characters."

I would recommend The Cotton Club for diehard fans of mobster movies as this is not one of the better gangster films that would attract larger audiences. In addition, people who enjoy excellent dance numbers will also enjoy this movie. It's not The Godfather nor is it West Side Story; and that's a crying shame.
June 4, 2007

 THE COTTON CLUB
WAS NOT COMPATABLE WITH MY DVD PLAYER. I SENT BACK AND YOU REFUNDED MY MONEY. January 7, 2007

 The only movie I ever walked out in the middle.
If your are big into tap, you will like this. It just wasn't my cup of tea if you will. It just went on and on with no end in sight. September 8, 2006

 LONNETTE MCKEE STEALS THE SHOW!!
"THE COTTON CLUB" is one GREAT FILM!I loved everything about it,the cast,(even Richard Gere),the history of Harlem,the history of the rackets,the sets,the music,the dancing,but I especially LOVED the fantastic LONETTE MCKEE,who dominated every scene she appeared in.What beauty,what singing and dancing talent,what great emotional range of love,hurt,and tenderness she displayed, in this highly underrated(by the critics)motion picture.I cannot understand why she hasn't become a major star.Hollywood is notorius for it miss handling of actress,especially ladies of color and I guess Lonette is suffering the same fate as Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge,among others suffered,but that was over sixty years ago,you would have though that things would have changed.Bob Hoskins,Fred Gwynne,James Remar,Gregory Hines(as a hoofer and Lonettes' love interest),and Nick Cage are among the actors that add to the flavor of "THE COTTON CLUB".The GREAT GWEN VERDON has little more than a cameo as Geres and Cages mother.Diane Lane didn't do anything for me,but she wasn't bad as Dutch Schultzs' mistress,who falls in love with Dixie Dwyer(Gere).But this Lonettes' show and SHE STEALS IT!! May 29, 2006

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