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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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THE COTTON CLUB
WAS NOT COMPATABLE WITH MY DVD PLAYER. I SENT BACK AND YOU REFUNDED MY MONEY.
Rating: 
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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.
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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!!
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Welcome to the most famous Harlem' s nightclub!
The creative energies of Coppola were still sparkling. This movie is a heartfelt tribute to an Age that just lives in the memory of a whole generation, that were teenagers after the WW2 and grew and grew up under the magic spell of Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, Errol Garner and a countless list of big names of the Jazz.
Obviously, Coppola remarks once more the hidden codes of the myth through the presence of the duality, expressed through the story of two brothers; one white the other black, and a fabulous interweaved connection of secondary plots.
To my mind this is one of the best achievement of Coppola in the genre of chamber works of his notable career. Gregory Hines made the greatest role of his lifetime. Watch for that Goddess called Diane Ladd in her 19.
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A Talent Showcase
I don't know what ever happened to Lonette McKee, but the 5 minute sequence at the heart of this picture, wherein she belts out "Ill Wind" over a Coppola photo-montage of the roaring 20s, was one of the great cinematic moments of all time -- true "movie magic."
There are many other priceless gems here too: the Gregory Hines' and partner dances, especially Hines' eerie, slow, dark screen finale, Cab Calloway himself as if sprung straight from time-travel, only a little messed and maybe better for it, even Richard Gere himself doing his clarinet, to name just a few.
Simply, this film must be seen as a talent showcase, not a drama. The format is rather dated and unknown to us, but was common during the early talkie era, and revived during World War 2 for USO show films. It has largely disappeared since, and indeed it is perhaps not the most clever use of cinema -- it can be a little irritating like an old 50s/early 60s TV variety show, where the format finally died the long death. Younger viewers may never well have even seen the format.
Actually though, the now lite/now heavy background plot stringing the segments along is hardly the worst. Gere, in superb lite touch mode, aids it greatly. Diane Lane is perfect. And finally Nicholas Cage actually convinces you something serious is going on -- just the right edge before Hoskins and Gwynne come back for the laughs.
Coppola sends his heavy "Godfather" infatuation up the flagpole here with the running gag on the idiot-looney tune gang leader Dutch Schultz, expertly added by little known James Remar. Yeah, the character is introduced a little heavily at the start, but remember, this is a Coppola movie. Actually, the greatest gift is that most often, that's hard to remember during this brilliantly entertaining 2 hours.
