Support Shadows: Buy a Poster

No, there's not an original element in the plot, and it doesn't help that Lynn directs it far too broadly. He never strikes a convincing balance between the goofy surface and the more serious undertones, and he completely misses the setting's earthiness and grit. It feels more like an artificial fable than a story we can sink our teeth into. What the film does have going for it is an magical musical score--a number of performance sequences take the breath away with their sheer inventiveness, combining musical styles wonderfully and building the film's dramatic subtext where the script and direction fail to do so. The cast is good on the whole, with lots of quirky supporting actors. Gooding shows flashes of brilliance, but is allowed/encouraged to be far too rubber-faced ... although his acrobatics in the closing credits are astonishing! Knowles steals the film even though she's far too glamorous and sexy for her character (an irrelevant complaint, I know); her steamy version of Fever is a fabulous showstopper! The fact that the film features first-rate examples of every variation of black music makes it well worth the price of a ticket, although the fact that it includes every conceivable small-town stereotype may make you wish you'd bought the soundtrack and skipped the movie.