The Cotton Club

R

Released Dec 14, 1984

2 hr. 7 min.

Drama

Music

List

74%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The lives of various characters intersect at Harlem's renowned Cotton Club. Handsome horn player Dix Dwyer (Richard Gere) falls for Vera Cicero (Diane Lane), the stunning girlfriend of famous gangster Dutch Schultz (James Remar). Meanwhile Dix's brother, Vincent (Nicolas Cage), falls in with Schultz's crew, while Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins), 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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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

Full Review

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

isla s

This is quite a stylish watch - its dark and gritty, with a bit of a film noir feel to it, although its obviously in colour but its very much gangster centered, with some scenes taking place in really quite literally dark conditions, which make it a little hard to ascertain exactly whats going on. Needless to say, there's a fair amount of violence present - bloody violence. There is, as you may expect, quite a lot of jazz music present, as we see the various performers who played sets in the titular club, including those by non-whites and indeed I felt sympathy towards those artists who had issues being allowed in to the club, where their invited to perform, considering their not allowed to enter as a paying customer. I noticed the irony of the name of the club and what it represents to non-Whites (i.e. slavery). The musical sets feature some reasonably slick choreography and reminded me a bit of the film Cabaret I suppose. Also needless to say, there is some moderately strong language present, including numerous instances of racial slurs. This film is set in the late 1920s, so racism is very much rife and this film certainly doesn't shy away from that. There are also some slurs towards Jews (anti-semitism?) by the local gangsters. Acting wise, I found it interesting seeing Richard Gere and Nicolas Cage playing characters in this film. Richard Gere certainly looks very fresh faced in his role as Dixie Dwyer. Also present is Bob Hoskins, who makes me think of Roger Rabbit since that film must have been made only a few years later I suppose, although that film is certainly more family friendly than The Cotton Club. Overall I enjoyed this film and I would recommend it to others.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

pieter m

I saw what turned out to be a revamped version by Coppola, adding from outtakes many music scenes and focusing the plot more on the colored characters. If I had this as a child, I would have watched it every week. It's great music entertainment, good suspense, does Richard Gere actually play the cornet? - and depending on how historically accurate, it answers many questions I had about the way jazz was listened to in those years.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I loved the great dancing, showmanship. Storyline ok. The dancing made it for me. Richard Gere was an excellent musician.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In my opinion, on par with anything else from FFC. Superb.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

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

Sep 13, 2023

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

David Elliott

Copley News Service

This movie would have been ruined by good taste. It is spendthrift on every level but logic, and at times inane, yet a smashing entertainment.

Feb 22, 2019

Full Review

Frederick M. Winship

United Press International

The music and dancing isn't enough of a substitute to make this a satisfying film and it may seem more distended than it really is.

Mar 12, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

The lives of various characters intersect at Harlem's renowned Cotton Club. Handsome horn player Dix Dwyer (Richard Gere) falls for Vera Cicero (Diane Lane), the stunning girlfriend of famous gangster Dutch Schultz (James Remar). Meanwhile Dix's brother, Vincent (Nicolas Cage), falls in with Schultz's crew, while Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins), 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
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
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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