Eddie Murphy character James "Thunder" Early
Jennifer Hudson character Effie White
Beyoncé Knowles character Deena Jones
Jamie Foxx character Curtis Taylor Jr.
Danny Glover character Marty Madison
Anika Noni Rose character Lorrell Robinson
Keith Robinson character C.C. White
Sharon Leal character Michelle Morris
Hinton Battle character Wayne
Mariah I. Wilson character Magic
Yvette Cason character May
Ralph Louis Harris character M.C.
Michael-Leon Wooley character Tiny Joe Dixon
Loretta Devine character Jazz Singer
Jocko Sims character Elvis Kelly
Ken Page character Max Washington
John Lithgow character Jerry Harris
John Krasinski character Sam Walsh
Alexander Folk character Ronald White
Esther Scott character Aunt Ethel
Laura Bell Bundy character Sweetheart
Yvette Nicole Brown character Curtis' Secretary
Damion Poitier character Man in D.C. Bar (uncredited)
Gregg Berger character Chicago Deejay
Anne Elizabeth Warren character Sweetheart
Stevie Ray Anthony character Jimmy's Band
Matthew Dickens character Jimmy's Band
Jerohn Garnett character Jimmy's Band
Mario Mosley character Jimmy's Band
Jimmy R.O. Smith character Jimmy's Band
Tracy Phillips character Go-Go dancer
