Idlewild

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Idlewild

R

2006

2h 1m

Drama

Musical

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

128 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A reticent piano player, named Percival (André Benjamin), along with Rooster (Antwan A. Patton), his flamboyant lead performer and manager, struggle to keep their speakeasy, in the Prohibition-era South, out of the hands of gangsters who want to take it over.

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Critics Consensus

Idlewild has some truly breathtaking moments, but borrows too heavily from other similar movies, and the disjointed script is not worthy of talents involved.

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David Jenkins

Time Out

Oct 14, 2006

For a band whose music is suffused with such delicate irony, you'd expect at the very least for there to be a few laughs along the way? There are none. Nothing. Zero.

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Olly Richards

Empire Magazine

Oct 6, 2006

3/5

Fans happy to luxuriate in its artistic indulgence, however, will be swept up in the weird, random, fantastic OutKastness of it all.

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Matthew Leyland

BBC.com

Sep 29, 2006

3/5

You have to hand it to those OutKast fellas -- even when they make a mess, they do it with style.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 11, 2020

1.5/4.0

Who ever thought I'd refer to an OutKast project as boring?

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Kaleem Aftab

The List

Nov 3, 2018

3/5

It's a tame, well-rehearsed story that hangs together to ensure Idlewild plays like one incongruous pop promo after another.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Apr 23, 2018

C+

The only hope for saving the humorless Idlewild is the atmospheric speak-easy setting, the great dancing numbers and the chill soundtrack.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 13, 2026

Idlewood = a *3* star Movie!

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Eye C

@ECinc Aug 23, 2026

This was a good ride. I’ve always enjoyed the music from Outkast and they have made a very well done musical.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 May 8, 2026

The worldwide gross is $12,600,000.00 over a budget of $10,000,000.00. Rated R for Nudity, Language, Sexuality and Violence.

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Blake- N

@PBSAniDom Apr 3, 2026

I went into Idlewild expecting something unique, and while it definitely has style, it ends up feeling pretty average overall. André 3000 and Big Boi bring charisma, and the music is easily the highlight, but the story itself doesn’t feel as strong as it should. The film tries to mix a crime narrative with musical elements, but the pacing feels uneven and it never fully commits to either side. Some scenes look great visually, but they don’t always connect in a meaningful way. It’s not a bad movie, just kind of forgettable outside of its soundtrack. Overall, I’d give it a 5/10—it has its moments, but doesn’t fully come together.

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Adrian W

@RT23218991 Dec 30, 2024

Very, very NOT GOOD.

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enlightened d

@RT57035407 Feb 28, 2021

"Idlewilde" is a lot more fun and entertaining than current movies. It has its flaws, but it's a better time than the depressing movies being made now.

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Bryan Barber

Director

André Benjamin

Percival

Big Boi

Rooster

Paula Patton

Angel

Terrence Howard

Trumpy

Malinda Williams

Zora

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Synopsis

A reticent piano player, named Percival (André Benjamin), along with Rooster (Antwan A. Patton), his flamboyant lead performer and manager, struggle to keep their speakeasy, in the Prohibition-era South, out of the hands of gangsters who want to take it over.

Director: Bryan Barber
Producer: William Green, Scott Macaulay, Robin O'Hara
Screenwriter: Bryan Barber
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: HBO Films, Mosaic Media Group, Forensic Films
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Drama, Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 25, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.5M
Runtime: 2h 1m

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