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Who Do You Love

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Who Do You Love

Released Apr 9, 2010

1h 32m

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

40%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Leonard Chess (Alessandro Nivola) founds a record company in 1950s Chicago and helps launch the careers of such artists as Muddy Waters (David Oyelowo) and Chuck Berry.

Critics Consensus

It boasts an interesting cast, and the music remains unimpeachable, but this Chess Records biopic suffers from a workmanlike script -- as well as comparisons to its recent predecessor, Cadillac Records.

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

It was muscled out of the marketplace by Cadillac Records, Sony's glossy, star-studded movie about Leonard. But it's clearly the better movie, earthier, wittier, and more intimate in its treatment of America's racial divide in the 1950s.

Apr 30, 2010

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

I think more edge is needed, more reality about the racial situation at the time, more insight into how and why R&B and rock 'n' roll actually did forever transform societies in America and the world.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 29, 2010

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Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

In the end, the most striking thing about Leonard is that he never seems to stop smoking.

Rated: B-

Apr 23, 2010

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Matt Pais

Metromix.com

Crackles with the sense of discovering genius that's ready to be heard and distributed.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 29, 2010

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Nora Lee Mandel

Film-Forward.com

Isn't the blues supposed to be cathartic and rock 'n' roll liberating? Recording maestro Chess is too tense and grim, and there are few joyous musical moments.

Rated: 5/10

Apr 11, 2010

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Pam Grady

Boxoffice Magazine

An engaging portrait of the man behind the artists.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 9, 2010

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Audience Member

Kind of boring but the music is fantastic. The subject matter (the creation of Chess Records) is really interesting but the movie really felt like it was playing it safe with the story, only showing very calculated negatives in Leonard Chess' personality. One wonders if that was because his son was involved with this production? Also why was Etta James portrayed as a woman named "Ivy" in the movie, especially when she was singing "At Last"? Weird.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Jerry Zaks

Director

Alessandro Nivola

Leonard Chess

David Oyelowo

Muddy Waters

Chi McBride

Willie Dixon

Jon Abrahams

Phil Chess

Megalyn Echikunwoke

Ivy Mills

Cadillac Records

66%

65%

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Synopsis

Leonard Chess (Alessandro Nivola) founds a record company in 1950s Chicago and helps launch the careers of such artists as Muddy Waters (David Oyelowo) and Chuck Berry.

Director: Jerry Zaks
Producer: Les Alexander, Andrea Baynes, Jonathan Mitchell
Screenwriter: Peter Wortmann, Bob Conte
Distributor: International Film Circuit [us]
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 9, 2010, Limited
Runtime: 1h 32m