From age 10 till 30, Aretha Franklin sure could sing, but she hadn’t yet found her voice.
At least, that’s the take served up in “Respect,” a solid if somewhat conventional feature directing debut for Broadway helmer Liesl Tommy which flatters Franklin in practically every way, beginning with the casting of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson as the First Lady of Soul’s younger self.
That’s not to say that “Respect” is pure hagiography, even if the title makes clear that Tommy intends for audiences to emerge with a deeper appreciation of the personal struggles — as well as the triumphs — that shaped Franklin’s signature sound.Pandemic delays pushed “Respect” from the 2020 release calendar to Aug.
13, giving National Geographic’s Cynthia Erivo-starring, Aretha-focused season of “Genius” a chance to reach (small) screens first, despite objections from the Franklin family to some of the series’ tawdrier bits.
Still, both projects
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