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The Cotton Club

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The Cotton Club

R

Released Dec 14, 1984

2h 7m

Drama

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

The lives of various characters intersect at Harlem's renowned Cotton Club. Handsome horn player Dix Dwyer falls for Vera Cicero, the stunning girlfriend of famous gangster Dutch Schultz. Meanwhile Dix's brother, Vincent, falls in with Schultz's crew, while Owney Madden, the jazz venue's proprietor, has his own mob ties. Although Dix goes on to become a Hollywood actor, his life doesn't get any less complicated or dangerous.

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Critics Consensus

Energetic and brimming with memorable performers, The Cotton Club entertains with its visual and musical pizazz even as its plot only garners polite applause.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Coppola, with his staccato imagery fragmenting the songs and dances, knocks the life out of the performers.

Sep 13, 2023

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Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

For all its visual pyrotechnics, [the film] probably adds up the sum of its parts to nothing more significant than the largely empty stylistics of One From the Heart, The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. But at least those parts are consistently attractive.

Feb 10, 2020

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Dolores Barclay

Associated Press

The Cotton Club is an expensive fiasco that meanders through the '20s and '30s with flimsy characters and a pointless plot.

Oct 22, 2018

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John Marriott

Radio Times

Bob Hoskins as the club owner and Fred Gwynne as his henchman certainly make their mark, while the Duke Ellington soundtrack is sheer bliss.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2025

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Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

The Cotton Club is basically The Godfather with tap dancing.

Jan 11, 2025

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Peter Sobczynski

The Spool

The original theatrical version of The Cotton Club was a mess, but it was never a boring mess... But Encore is simply a better film, transforming a collection of moments into a strikingly concise whole.

Apr 20, 2021

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Aileen D

I thought the film was brilliant. First, it was all about the music of Harlem in the 1930s. It showcased its songs, dancing and the stars. The secondary theme centered around the gangsters. You weren’t supposed to expect great drama, although Bob Hoskins was especially enjoyable in his role. It was a crazy time of glamour and violence, but it was the music that fed the subplots and, ultimately, tied everything together. In short, if you dug the music, you dug the film. Richard Gere played a fine cornet, by the way.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

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Rex W

The dancing was outstanding. However, the story, direction, and especially the acting was terrible. Richard Gere was miscast as the cornet blowing, good-looking, "Mob Boss." He performed with his usual, high-energy nervous tics. The rest of the cast look as though they were rehearsing instead of acting. They all made illogical decisions all through the movie. This had potential, but it was unfocused and poorly staged.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/09/25

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Robert c

Atmospheric, 30s-adjacent, and endlessly entertaining. Gregory Hines displays underrated acting ability that builds on his incomparable dancing skills. Coppola's most overlooked directing achievement?

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/11/24

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Horror fan 4

Very well made. Coppola's direction was great. The music was amazing. Tim Treakle

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/08/24

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dingo K

I agree with Sikel and Ebert on this one... It an interesting good movie, all the way around, in a classic kind of a way. It's not for everyone... I do.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/02/23

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Karl O

On rewatching after thirty plus years I was reminded that this is the movie equivalent of jock itch. I need powder.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/22

Full Review

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Francis Ford Coppola

Director

Richard Gere

Dixie Dwyer

Gregory Hines

Sandman Williams

Diane Lane

Vera Cicero

Lonette McKee

Lila Rose Oliver

Bob Hoskins

Owney Madden

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Synopsis

The lives of various characters intersect at Harlem's renowned Cotton Club. Handsome horn player Dix Dwyer falls for Vera Cicero, the stunning girlfriend of famous gangster Dutch Schultz. Meanwhile Dix's brother, Vincent, falls in with Schultz's crew, while Owney Madden, the jazz venue's proprietor, has his own mob ties. Although Dix goes on to become a Hollywood actor, his life doesn't get any less complicated or dangerous.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Robert Evans
Screenwriter: William Kennedy, Francis Ford Coppola
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Zoetrope Studios
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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