I'm sorry, but this was a cringeworthy performance in my opinion. He mumbled his lines all through the movie. I liked Mos Def in The Boondocks, Hichiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and some other things, but he was out of his range in this one.
After watching clips of Chuck Berry, I actually thought he did very well. I understood him well, and don't recall any real mumbling.
A plague on all your houses!!!!
You're kidding.He WAS Chuck Berry!
shareDo you consider yourself a fan of the blues...classic(real) R&B like chuck berry, and the likes of those in this movie?
I think Mos Def was one of the better performances in the movie actually. Don't blame him for being chuck berry haha i'm sure if he had played a different role he wouldn't have delivered his lines the same way.
I thought he was pretty good at first - he nailed the mischievous, comic nature of Chuck, but as soon as he opened his mouth to sing .... good lord, that singing. It still hurts, in my brain, when I think about it. I had to throw on some Chuck Berry just to get the sound out of my head. Stick to rapping and poetry, Mos Def.
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I thought he was great in that role. He didn't sing as well as Chuck, but he was totally believable as Chuck.
shareYour opinion isn't very well measured. Against the rest of the cast and the film overall, Mos Def stole every scene he was in. He captured Chuck Berry remarkably in his limited screen time. I love this subject and liked the movie (7/10), and Mos Def was the best part of it.
share^I Agree, he stole every scene he was in.
shareI also disagree - I thought Mos Def was a great choice and he really fit the role (and didn't chew scenery or otherwise overdo the scope of his role). And if you're familiar at all with Chuck Berry, the criticisms about his mumbling way of talking and just seeming a little "off" are silly because that's what Chuck Berry is/was like!
And I'm not a Mos Def fan in particular - I've liked him in some roles and thought he was awful in others, but he did a fine job here.