Respect follows the life story of Aretha “Ree” Franklin, from when she was just a 10-year-old music prodigy in Detroit 1952, to eventually becoming the Queen of Soul decades later. However, Ree’s road to success was a tumultuous one, filled with many hardships, setbacks, and abusive relationships. While the talent was always there, it took her a long time to finally find her own voice and achieve commercial success.

Ree’s father, C.L. (Forest Whitaker) is a well-known preacher, who throws Saturday evening parties with promising young talent such as Dinah Washington (Mary J. Blige) and Sam Cooke (Kelvin Hair II), and often brings out Ree to play for the guests. She may only be ten, but she has the voice of a 30-year-old singer. Ree likely got her musical talent from her mother Barbara (Audra McDonald), who is also a singer. Barbara and C.L. had gotten divorced, and the kids visit their mother every few weeks for a weekend when she returns from a tour, but when tragedy strikes, Ree no longer has that more positive outlet in her life. As she gets older, Ree gets involved in activism, especially the civil rights movement with family friend Martin Luther King Jr. (Gilbert Glenn Brown). She often sings at her father’s speeches and other rallies, but she really wants to pursue a proper music career. While her friends are talking about Motown, she has her sights set on something different, and her father arranges a meeting with Columbia Records exec John Hammond (Tate Donovan). While this is a somewhat productive relationship, Ree still hasn’t really found her unique voice—just covering standards instead of original songs. That all changes when she meets unconventional music producer Jerry Wexler (Marc Maron) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. However, years of abusive and dominating relationships cause her to second-guess herself, and send her into a self-destructive, downward spiral, sabotaging her own success. She will need to learn to love and stop blaming herself, and step up and demand some respect if she’s going to turn her life around.

I found Respect to be quite fascinating—I never knew about all the dark things in Aretha Franklin’s life, from becoming pregnant at an extremely young age, to going from one abusive relationship to the next. Forest Whitaker delivers a strong performance as C.L., this very controlling, no-nonsense parent and manager, who appears to put his congregation and his own image above all else. While Barbara was more of the loving and caring mother, C.L. sees Aretha more for what she can do for him. Without a good male role model in her life, Aretha makes poor decisions when it comes to the other men in her life as well. When she finally breaks away from her father as her manager, she ends up with Ted White (Marlon Wayans), but he is just as controlling and unable to keep his temper in check like her father. Wayans, is excellent in this unusually dramatic role for him. Ted is so despicable, and Wayans does an excellent job of conveying the more subtle ways that Ted controls Franklin, such as making her interviews all about him, to the more overt domestic abuse. The first man to finally treat Aretha with the (for lack of a better word) respect she deserves is music producer Jerry Wexler—a role that seems perfectly-tailored for Marc Maron. Jerry has to balance the delicate tightrope of appeasing Ted’s childish and ridiculous demands, while also trying to help Aretha come out of her shell and find her own voice.

While the core of the film is pretty faithful to Franklin’s story, some of the dates and the order of some events have been shifted around to better fit the narrative and increase the dramatic punch. It’s not until a good way into the film that we finally get to hear Jennifer Hudson belt out some of Franklin’s more iconic tunes, but when she does so, they sound amazing. One thing that I really enjoyed was how the film explores the development of the music and lyrics for these songs. In one scene, we see Ree and her sisters coming up with the re-arrangement of “Respect”, using her nickname “Ree-Ree-..”. And in some other scenes we see Ree and the Muscle Shoals band trying out various instruments and tempos until they come up with the perfect sound for each song. The filmmakers have also done an excellent job of recreating the era in the costumes and sets, as well as some of Franklin’s more well-known performances and appearances. Hudson not only sings hear heart out, but also delivers a an amazing emotional performance, making the audience feel the decades of hardship and abuse this woman has suffered, and how that weight is starting to become too much for her to ignore any longer.

Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The picture is clean and pristine, with a slightly yellow/green palette that evokes a feeling of the era in which the film is set. There is an excellent level of detail in close-ups and faces. The release also includes a 4K digital copy redeemable via Apple TV for those who wish to watch the film in 4K (there is no 4K UHD physical release). The digital code was not yet available to redeem at the time of this review, so I cannot comment on any picture quality differences, but the Blu-ray already looks quite impressive. Dialogue is clear throughout, and the Dolby Atmos soundtrack often provides a fully-immersive experience—whether it’s the sounds of cheering party guests, concert crowds, churchgoers or musicians in the recording studio, you always feel like you are right there for Aretha’s fantastic musical performances.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs come packed in a standard HD keepcase with a carboard slipcover. The case also includes a slip with redemption instructions for a 4K Apple TV digital copy of the film (since this is an MGM movie, it is not Movies Anywhere compatible), plus a bonus Universal All-Access Rewards points code that can be used for a free digital movie or towards other rewards. Both discs contain the same bonus material, which consists of over 22 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:24:53)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 11/9/2026):

• 4K digital copy of the film redeemable via Apple TV (not Movies Anywhere compatible)
• Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 12/31/2025)
  Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie or other items in the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of 5-6 free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month.

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

• The Making of Respect (7:20)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the legacy of Aretha Franklin, and deciding what and how to portray her life and accomplishments in the film. They talk about the church performances, both recreating some events exactly but others just capturing the same spirit and passion, filming the Madison Square Garden concert, recording the music live, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/executive producer Liesl Tommy, producers Scott Bernstein, Stacey Sher & Jonathan Glickman, Aretha Franklin’s cousin/back-up singer Brenda Franklin-Corbett, screenwriter/co-writer Tracey Scott Wilson, producer/executive music producer Harvey Mason Jr., executive music producers Stephen Bray & Jason Michael Webb, acting coach Lelund Durond Thompson (“Jackson”), dialect coach Thom Jones, production designer Ina Mayhew, and stars Jennifer Hudson (“Aretha Franklin”/executive producer), Gilbert Glenn Brown (“Martin Luther King Jr.”), Marlon Wayans (“Ted White”), Forest Whitaker (“C.L. Franklin”), Audra McDonald (“Barbara”), Skye Dakota Turner (“Young Aretha”), Mary J. Blige (“Dinah Washington”) & Leroy McClain (“Cecil Franklin”).
• Becoming Aretha (4:42)
  The filmmakers discuss the extensive process of transforming star Jennifer Hudson into the iconic Queen of Soul, how Aretha herself selected her for the role, learning to play the piano, performing the songs live, and more. Includes rehearsal, pre-production and other behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with star/executive producer Jennifer Hudson, Aretha Franklin’s cousin/back-up singer Brenda Franklin-Corbett, director/executive producer Liesl Tommy, producers Scott Bernstein & Stacey Sher, acting coach Lelund Durond Thompson, dialect coach Thom Jones, screenwriter/co-writer Tracey Scott Wilson, executive music producers Stephen Bray & Jason Michael Webb, producer/executive music producer Harvey Mason Jr., and actors Leroy McClain, Mary J. Blige & Forest Whitaker.
• Capturing a Legacy (3:49)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss how director Liesl Tommy was always focused on honoring Aretha Franklin and her legacy, and what it was like working with her. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/executive producer Liesl Tommy, screenwriter/co-writer Tracey Scott Wilson, producers Stacey Sher, Scott Bernstein & Jonathan Glickman, producer/executive music producer Harvey Mason Jr., and stars Jennifer Hudson, Saycon Sengbloh (“Erma Franklin”), Forest Whitaker & Marlon Wayans.
• From Muscle Shoals (2:57)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss how Aretha Franklin found her own voice at the Muscle Shoals recording studio, casting the studio actors, and working with the real Spooner. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/executive producer Liesl Tommy, producer/executive music producer Harvey Mason Jr., FAME Studios general manager Rodney Hall, executive music producers Stephen Bray & Jason Michael Webb, Muscle Shoals member Spooner Oldham, and stars Jennifer Hudson & Marc Maron (“Jerry Wexler”).
• Exploring the Design of Respect (3:37)
  The cast and filmmakers discuss the work and research them went into making the film look as authentic as possible, from the costumes to the sets. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/executive producer Liesl Tommy, producers Jonathan Glickman & Scott Bernstein, costume designer Clint Ramos, production designer Ina Mayhew, and stars Jennifer Hudson, Gilbert Glenn Brown & Hailey Kilgore (“Carolyn Franklin”).

Final Thoughts:

Aretha Franklin’s road to becoming the Queen of Soul was not an easy one, and Respect gives viewers a look into the struggles and hardships the singer had to overcome along the way. Jennifer Hudson not only gives an excellent dramatic performance, but also does an amazing job of performing the songs that made Aretha the icon she was. The Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes a nice selection of bonus material. This inspirational story and solid Blu-ray release make for an easy recommendation.