Several days ago, I reviewed Born to be Blue, in which Ethan Hawke plays the legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker battling to overcome his tumultuous heroine addiction. Much like that musical biopic, Miles Ahead offers an intimate snapshot of its subject’s life by focusing on a specific period of Miles Davis’ legacy. One would think that this method of storytelling would result in a more organic portrayal of the icon, but ultimately the attempt comes off contrived and desperate to leave viewers with a thematic connection.
Don Cheadle is Miles Davis, perhaps the most influential and innovative musician of the 20th century. Miles Ahead was a passion project for Cheadle, who went so far as to helm the film himself, marking his directorial debut. The result is a wildly entertaining movie that will satisfy the average theatergoer, but fail to impart much substance.
It’s easy to look past this throughout most of the film, as Cheadle puts in one of the most assured performances of his career. He is excellent as Davis, from his raspy cadence to the replicated bravado of his trumpet playing. Cheadle’s support cast puts in decent turns as well, particularly Ewan McGregor as fictional Rolling Stone writer Dave Braden, and Emayatzy Corinealdi as Frances Taylor - Davis’ wife.
Miles Ahead begins with a cold open of sorts, in which Davis and Braden flee a slew of gunfire in the streets of New York City. Just as their escape seems certain, Davis drops a tape recording, which we later learn contains a lost studio session Columbia Records is desperate to get its hands on. Before we can find out the fate of Davis and the tape, the scene cuts and we find ourselves in the middle of an interview between Davis and Braden.
Braden is trying to pen the ultimate Miles Davis comeback story, and it’s clear he’ll go to any length to achieve that mission. But Davis’ abrasive personality makes this difficult, and complicates the interview with Braden as well as his relationship with Columbia, who want Davis to honor his contract and deliver the new music. Davis wants his money first, though, and the dispute sets the stage for the remainder of the film.
A shady lawyer (Michael Stuhlbarg) ends up sneaking into Davis’ house during a party and steals the precious recording. From here, Miles Ahead shifts back and forth throughout the protagonist's life, charting the highs and lows of Davis’ career and his marriage to Frances, which grows increasingly strained over time. Much like the art Davis helped make so popular, Miles Ahead feels improvised and ventures all over the place with varying degrees of success. It’s fun to watch, but you can’t shake the feeling that Miles Ahead feels like a Hollywood blockbuster version of Davis’ life, rather than an exploratory character study.
In the end, Miles Ahead will entertain viewers and perhaps waltz its way to a few award nominations. But for true fans of Davis and his music, I fear they will walk away feeling unsatisfied and wondering what the point of it all was. I respect Cheadle’s decision to avoid the tried and typical “all-encompassing biopic.” Narrowing down Davis’ story was a wise choice, but its caper-esque plot doesn’t seem appropriate for the ethos of the legendary trumpeter. That being said, Cheadle (as always) can act his ass off, and Miles Ahead is a solid directorial debut that should open up more opportunities for Cheadle in the future.
Miles Ahead arrives in theaters on April 1. Stay tuned to iDigitalTimes for continuing coverage of SXSW 2016.
