Miles Ahead

'MILES AHEAD': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A mostly fictional biopic on jazz music legend Miles Davis, starring Don Cheadle as Davis. Cheadle also directed the movie (marking his feature film directorial debut), and he co-wrote the script as well; with Steven Baigelman (who also wrote the recent James Brown music biopic 'GET ON UP'), Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson (Rivele and Wilkinson have also co-written other hit biopics, like 'NIXON', 'ALI' and 'PAWN SACRIFICE'). The film also costars Ewan McGregor, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Michael Stuhlbarg. It received a limited indie theatrical release in theaters, and it's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics (although not that positive). I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The story takes place at multiple different times in Miles Davis's (Cheadle) life, and it jumps around between them. The bulk of the film takes place in the 70s, and it revolves around a fictional adventure that Davis goes on, in an attempt to get a stolen tape recording back (of his recent music) from a greedy record producer (Stuhlbarg). He has help from an ambitious music reporter (McGregor). The movie also heavily focuses on Davis's troubled relationship with his wife (Corinealdi).

I'm not a big fan of biopics (because of how aimless, long and boring they often are) but I enjoyed this movie, because it's not a traditional biopic. A lot of the film is more like a fictional caper flick, with Miles Davis in it, and I think that makes for a much more entertaining movie (as a result). Cheadle is also fantastic in the lead, and he shows a lot of talent as a director here. I think the film is definitely worth seeing, whether you're a big Miles Davis fan or not.

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Miles Ahead tells the story... well, not quite. The story of Miles Davis in the 70's. Going back and forth to the 50's. With all my love to the man himself, I gotta say the movie isn't so good. Let me break it down a little: When you want to see a biography about a person, you would normally want to see his journey, his creations and art being shown, a bit of his struggles and personal life. You don't want to see a fictional journey of the person that has nothing to do with the man himself.

I have stated in the past that there have been many biography movies in the past few years depicting the lives of celebrities, when so many origin movies are being made so it loses its specificity and becomes cheap and ordinary.

In Miles Davis's case, they made a complete fictional story surrounding Miles, something a bit bizarre and odd. Even though I was a bit interested with this sort of plot. I would have rather done another biography depicting Miles Davis's career, the start, the middle and end. Have the movie focus on the music only. The music is what's important.

Luckily we do get to hear all of Miles's music, from "Kind of Blue" and "Sketches of Spain" to the 80's music.

Overall I guess the whole fictional shenanigan journey was just not good enough for the movie and probably was better to have a more simple plot line.

Miles Ahead: the Film's Ending Saves Davis

Miles Ahead is an interesting take on the life of the jazz master. It's not a standard biopic telling a tale of the rise, then fall, then rebirth of an artist. Miles Ahead starts toward the end of his career when he is 'taking a break' from performing and recording. We learn that Davis has a deal with Colombia Records to start recording again, but he has yet to follow up when the film starts.

Several plot lines run throughout the film. However, the only one that is fully explored is his marriage. It runs the standard arc of plots with an introduction, conflict, plot points and resolution. The other stories within this film are not so successfully explored.

We have an idea why Davis took time off, but we don't get the full picture of his talents and his method for writing. More time spent on his work and less time with his interactions with the record label and the Rolling Stone magazine writer would have made this film more profound and enjoyable.

Don Cheadle is excellent at embodying the conflicts of the artist. It is not a salute to an idol, it is a full exposé, the talent, his influence, his trouble working with others, his addictions, and his struggle with fame. Davis at once hates his fame and desires to focus on the music while also uses it to get what he wants and to manipulate others. It's his love-hate relationship with his stardom that is the crux of the film in like of his past. However, the film doesn't go deep enough to satisfy your regular audience member that knows little about the man.

A major problem with the film is that while is does well in presenting the marriage and his conflicts with his fame, it also stupidly tries to be an action film. The relationship with the Rolling Stone writer just distracts from the heart of the story and plays out like a Three Stooges bit. Ewan McGregor is out of place as writer Dave Brill and can't bring enough charisma to the screen to make it work. The plot line with the writer is an annoying distraction from the acting of Cheadle and the struggles of an artist.

Thus, for all its good, and it has a lot of good, I only recommend two-thirds of the film. Fortunately, the ending is so well done that it salvages the good in the film.

Rating: Matinée

Cheadle is excellent at playing Davis, but his poor writing and directing decisions detract from what is an otherwise interesting film about a master musician.

Peace, Tex Shelters

Absolutely stunning! Attended the world premiere at the NewYork film festival this past weekend. As the film ended, my mind felt entranced. The film's rapid clip style and dramatic ending made me film as if I had viewed one of Mile's mind blowing paintings. Somehow, it all seemed to come together as one mental image at the end. An ingenious portrayal of both Miles music and painting style. Along with the fabulous music throughout, the movie even included a clip of miles working on one of his paintings, as if the cue us in on the films approach.

The music of Miles Davis provides the background for many of the scenes and it is performed in many scenes. As Miles was also an accomplished abstract painter, he is also featured creating some of his artwork. His challenges, triumphs and failures in love, the music industry, music composition, health, etc. compose a collage that comes together like one of his abstract paintings. At the end, a stunning scene brings it all together and emphasizes the phenomenal impact of the Miles music through today, for all time, and across many genres.

Greetings again from the darkness. What would rate as the bigger challenge: defining jazz or describing the life of Miles Davis? In true "passion project" mode, Don Cheadle not only portrays the iconic trumpeter, but also directs, co-writes and co-produces. Cheadle's tribute to The Prince of Darkness is as open to interpretation as the hundreds of songs from Davis' recordings over thirty plus years.

Having stated in numerous interviews that he had no interest in the usual "cradle-to-grave" biopic, Cheadle's odd blend of fact, fiction and hallucination are meant to capture the essence of Miles Davis, rather than the life and times of the man. Guns, drugs, music, girls, and art are all present throughout this trippy trip of a movie that plays like an impressionistic painting, and not a portrait.

The bulk of the film is spent on Miles Davis during his self-imposed six year drug-fueled hiatus in the 1970's when he secluded himself in Howard Hughes fashion. There is an odd and ill-fitting plot involving the "secret" master tapes that Davis has recorded while waiting for his manager (Michael Stuhlbarg as Harper Hamilton) to pay him the money he is owed. Mixed in is a "Rolling Stone" writer named Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor) desperately trying to get an interview with Miles and listen to the tapes. This mad caper-ish core benefits greatly from the quick cuts to the past … especially those featuring Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi) as Miles' beautiful, talented and supportive wife.

Of course, we shouldn't expect linear story-telling from a man whose life was anything but linear. After all, we are focused on the man who claimed his music was not "jazz", but rather "Social Music" … and that "it takes a long time to play like yourself". The car chases and gunfights might seem out of place, but do capture the essence of a man fueled by drugs and a possible (temporary) loss of his creative genius. Perhaps, as the movie suggests, Miles was remorseful for how he treated Frances. Or maybe it was simply the pressure of being Miles Davis …. The coolest of Cool Jazz.

Mr. Cheadle does a nice job in portraying Davis, and is spot on in the trademark raspy whisper which Miles was known for (the after-effects of a larynx operation in the 1950's). Ms. Corinealdi (to appear in the new "Roots" project later this year) is outstanding as Frances Taylor, and is the one character we latch on to in hopes of maintaining our bearings throughout.

Taking its title from a 1957 Miles Davis album, the movie offers a glimpse into the mind of a musical genius who didn't always fit into "proper" society, and would be the perfect pairing for a head-scratching trumpeter double-bill with the recent "Born to be Blue", a look at Chet Baker.