Respect explores the remarkable true story that is the first two decades of Aretha Franklin’s (Jennifer Hudson) life, as she attempts to find her voice, control her career and define her own sound. From early beginnings as a child singing in her preacher father’s (Forest Whitaker) church choir in the 1950s, to losing her mother at the age of 10, Franklin’s rise to international music superstardom was arduous, to put it mildly. Throw in an abusive marriage with a domineering husband (Marlon Wayans) and it’s almost impossible to believe that Franklin’s transcendent music was ever heard.

The long-in-development film admittedly ticks all the requisite boxes for a standard-issue biopic, but Hudson’s electrifying performance elevates everything and everyone around her. If any part of this film should command respect, it’s her.