Respect is a 2021 American biographical musical drama film directed by Liesl Tommy (in her feature directorial debut), written by Tracey Scott Wilson and Callie Khouri, based on the life of American singer Aretha Franklin. The film stars Jennifer Hudson as Franklin, with Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, and Mary J. Blige in supporting roles. The film follows the first three decades of Franklin's life, from being born as a musical prodigy in an affluent African-American family, the repercussions of losing her mother at age 10 to her arduous rise to international musical stardom, while enduring an abusive marriage, ultimately concluding with the recording of her influential live album Amazing Grace (1972).

A film on Franklin's life was in development for a long time with Franklin herself involved in the pre-production, however the film languished in development hell for years due to lack of finding a suitable candidate. Following release of the musical film Dreamgirls (2006), Franklin asked Hudson to play her but did not finalize her decision until seeing her in the Broadway musical The Color Purple. The film began production in early 2019 and had concluded by February 2020. The film is dedicated to Franklin, who died in 2018.

After much delay and postponement, due to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic, Respect premiered in Los Angeles on August 8, 2021,[2] and was released theatrically in the United States on August 13, 2021, by United Artists Releasing, and in other territories by Universal Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances, the film's production values, and costume design, but received criticism for its screenplay and long running time.

Cast
Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin
Skye Dakota Turner as young Aretha
Forest Whitaker as C. L. Franklin, Aretha's father
Marlon Wayans as Ted White, Aretha's abusive husband and manager
Audra McDonald as Barbara Siggers Franklin, Aretha's mother
Marc Maron as Jerry Wexler
Albert Jones as Ken Cunningham
Leroy McClain as Cecil Franklin, Aretha's older brother
Tituss Burgess as James Cleveland
Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklin, Aretha's older sister
Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin, Aretha's younger sister
Tate Donovan as John Hammond
Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington
Kelvin Hair as Sam Cooke
Myk Watford, as Rick Hall
Heather Headley as Clara Ward
Lodric D. Collins as Smokey Robinson[1]
Gilbert Glenn Brown as Martin Luther King Jr.
Brenda Nicole Moorer as Brenda Franklin-Corbett, Aretha's cousin
Jelani Alladin, as Jason