All Hail the Queen: The Respect Trailer Slays

The trailer for the Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect, dropped during the Sunday night’s BET Awards, and it may be premature but I think it needs to be said:

Ms. Jennifer Hudson, please get your acceptance speech ready for your 2nd Academy Award.

The trailer opens with those famous lyrics,

What you want, Baby I got it

What you need, you know I got it

All I’m askin’ is for a little Respect

Images from the Aretha Franklin’s life play throughout the trailer, from a little girl to a struggling singer to the incomparable Queen of Soul. While we see such familiar images of Aretha playing to packed concert halls, we also see her fight for, yes, respect – reminding one white music executive (Marc Maron) “I’d like you to call me ‘Ms.Franklin.'” – as well as civil rights, paving the way for artists like Beyonce and Alicia Keys to use their music to inspire change:

“You have to disturb the peace when you can get no peace.”

Respect features both the acting and singing brilliance of Jennifer Hudson, who was handpicked by the Queen of Soul herself prior to her death in 2018. Even Ms. Franklin knew that if Hollywood was going to do a film about her life, they better find an actual singer who could give her legendary vocal range the justice it deserves. They did just that and Ms. Hudson absolutely slays.

The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, and the Queen of R&B herself, Mary J. Blige as legendary singer, Dinah Washington, who reminds Aretha, “Honey, find the songs that move you.”

Thank God Aretha Franklin listened.

Respect hits theaters this December.

Are you ready for some R-E-S-P-E-C-T?