Honestly, playing Aretha Franklin is a terrifying gig. You aren't just playing a singer; you’re playing a monument. When the Genius: Aretha series—which many folks just call the Genius Aretha Franklin movie—hit screens, it didn't just have to deal with the Queen of Soul’s massive vocal legacy. It had to deal with her family. It had to deal with a rival biopic starring Jennifer Hudson. And it had to deal with the messy, beautiful, often frustrating reality of a woman who didn't like to talk about her private life.
Cynthia Erivo took the lead here. She’s a powerhouse. But the show isn't a glossy, "everything is fine" tribute. It’s gritty. It digs into the stuff Aretha usually kept behind a veil of furs and silence.
What Actually Happens in the Genius Aretha Franklin Movie?
This wasn't a two-hour flick. It was an eight-part event. That gave the creators—led by showrunner Suzan-Lori Parks—the room to breathe. They didn't just focus on the hits. You get the 1950s. You get the 1960s. You see the transition from a gospel prodigy to a pop star who just couldn't find her "sound" at Columbia Records.
The series bounces around in time. One minute you're in a smoky studio in Alabama; the next, you're a kid on the road with C.L. Franklin.
C.L. Franklin is a huge part of this story. He was a superstar minister, a man of God who lived a very complicated life. Courtney B. Vance plays him with this incredible, magnetic danger. He was her biggest supporter and her biggest obstacle. He taught her how to own a room, but he also kept her under his thumb for years. The Genius Aretha Franklin movie works best when it explores that friction. It’s about a girl trying to become a woman while her father is essentially the king of Black America.
The Muscle Shoals Turning Point
If you want to know why Aretha became "Aretha," you have to look at the Muscle Shoals sessions. This is a core part of the series. Before this, she was singing jazz standards that felt... stiff. They weren't her. When she walked into FAME Studios in Alabama, everything changed.
The white session musicians there, the "Swampers," didn't know what to do with her at first. But then she sat at the piano. That’s the "Genius" part. People forget Aretha was a world-class pianist. She didn't just sing the songs; she built them from the keys up. The series shows her taking control of the room, dictating the soul, and finding that deep, bluesy groove that defined her Atlantic Records era. It’s electric to watch.
Why the Franklin Family Hated It
Let's get into the drama. Because there was a lot of it.
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Before the show even aired, Aretha’s son, Kecalf Franklin, went on social media. He was not happy. He basically told fans not to watch it. Why? According to the family, the production didn't consult them enough. They felt like the "official" blessing went to the Respect movie (the one with Jennifer Hudson) instead.
It’s a classic Hollywood standoff. National Geographic had the rights to the music and certain biographical materials, but the family felt sidelined. This creates a weird tension for the viewer. You’re watching this incredible performance by Erivo, but in the back of your mind, you’re wondering if the real Aretha would have even wanted this story told. She was notoriously private. She never wrote a tell-all. She kept her secrets. The series pulls back the curtain on her marriages—especially the volatile one with Ted White—and her early pregnancies.
Was it exploitative? Some say yes. Others argue that you can't understand her art without seeing the pain she was singing through.
The Ted White Dynamic
Malcolm Barrett plays Ted White, Aretha’s first husband and manager. It’s hard to watch. The series doesn't shy away from the domestic abuse. It shows a man who was desperate to stay relevant as his wife’s star eclipsed his own. It’s a toxic, suffocating relationship. The show portrays this as the fire that forged her independence. When she finally leaves him, it isn't just a plot point; it’s a liberation.
How It Differs From the Respect Biopic
You might be confused. Didn't Jennifer Hudson just do this? Yes.
The Jennifer Hudson movie, Respect, is a more traditional "rise to fame" story. It’s glossy. It’s a big-budget Hollywood production. The Genius Aretha Franklin movie (the National Geographic series) is more of a character study. It’s longer, it’s slower, and it spends way more time on the civil rights movement.
Aretha wasn't just a singer. She was a financier for the movement. She had a "no-jail" clause in her contracts—if she was going to perform, she wanted to make sure she could bail out activists if they got arrested. The series highlights her relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Angela Davis. It shows that her voice was a weapon. That’s something a two-hour movie struggles to capture, but an eight-hour series handles beautifully.
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The Music: Did Cynthia Erivo Actually Sing?
Yes. Every single note.
That was a huge gamble. You’re trying to replicate the most famous voice in history. Erivo doesn't try to "mimic" Aretha. That would be impossible. Instead, she captures the spirit of the phrasing. She gets the grit. She gets the church-house growl.
There’s a scene where she records "Amazing Grace" at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church. It’s one of the best moments in the series. You see the sweat, the exhaustion, and the pure spiritual channeling. It’s not just a performance; it’s a recreation of a cultural landmark.
Key Details You Might Have Missed
The show is packed with era-specific details that actually matter.
- The Piano Style: Pay attention to how Erivo plays. Aretha had a specific, percussive way of hitting the keys that came straight from the Detroit gospel scene. The show consultants worked hard to make sure the hand placements were accurate.
- The Wardrobe: The costumes aren't just pretty. They track her confidence. Early on, she’s in these restrictive, "proper" dresses. As she finds her voice, the furs get bigger, the colors get bolder, and the wigs get more iconic.
- The "Queen" Narrative: The show explores how the title "Queen of Soul" wasn't just a marketing gimmick. It was a crown she had to defend. It shows her rivalry—and mutual respect—with other singers of the era.
Is It Factually Accurate?
Mostly. But it’s "dramatized" history.
For instance, the timeline of certain recording sessions is shifted for dramatic effect. The tension between Aretha and her sisters, Erma and Carolyn, is played up quite a bit. In reality, they were her backbone. They sang backup for her for years. While there was definitely sibling rivalry (who wouldn't be jealous of Aretha?), the show leans into the friction to create more "TV drama."
The portrayal of C.L. Franklin’s "celebrity" lifestyle is pretty spot on. He was a man who lived large. He drove Cadillacs and wore expensive suits while preaching to the poor. That contradiction lived inside Aretha her whole life.
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Why You Should Watch the Genius Aretha Franklin Movie
If you only know Aretha from "Respect" or "Think," you’re missing the point of her life. She was a woman who survived incredible trauma—losing her mother young, becoming a mother herself at 12, dealing with a controlling father and an abusive husband.
The series shows how she turned that into gold.
It’s not always a "fun" watch. It’s heavy. But it’s necessary if you want to understand the 20th century. You see the intersection of Black music, the Black church, and the fight for Black liberation.
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Experience
If you're going to dive into the Genius Aretha Franklin movie, don't just binge it mindlessly. Do these things to actually "get" it.
- Listen to "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" first. This is the album that changed everything. Listen to the title track before you watch the Muscle Shoals episodes. You’ll hear the difference in her voice.
- Watch the "Amazing Grace" documentary. The series recreates this, but the actual footage of Aretha at the church in 1972 is haunting. It provides the context you need for the series’ finale.
- Read "Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin" by David Ritz. The show is based on a lot of the research found in this book. It’s a controversial biography because it’s "unauthorized," but it’s widely considered the most honest look at her life.
- Check out the "Genius" episodes on Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso. This series is an anthology. Seeing how they handled other geniuses helps you understand why they focused so much on Aretha’s technical skill rather than just her celebrity.
The Genius Aretha Franklin movie isn't perfect. It’s messy, just like its subject. But it refuses to give you the "Disney version" of a woman who fought for every scrap of respect she ever got. It’s a tribute to the work, the practice, and the sheer genius required to become an icon.
Final Takeaway
Don't go into this expecting a jukebox musical. Go into it expecting a story about power. Who has it? Who takes it? And how do you keep it when the whole world wants a piece of you? Aretha Franklin figured that out, and the series is a roadmap of her struggle.
If you want to understand the evolution of American soul, start here. The music is the result. The life shown in this series is the reason.
Next Steps to Deepen Your Knowledge:
- Compare the Performances: Watch 10 minutes of Cynthia Erivo in Genius and then 10 minutes of Jennifer Hudson in Respect. Notice how Erivo focuses on the internal "quiet" of Aretha, while Hudson focuses on the "theatre" of the performance.
- Track the Songwriting: Look up the credits for "Dr. Feelgood" and "Rock Steady." Seeing how often Aretha was a primary writer or arranger will change how you view the studio scenes in the series.
- Research C.L. Franklin: His sermons are available online. Listening to his voice will give you chills when you realize how much of his cadence Aretha used in her singing.