Continue with Google
>
20 Feet From Stardom Reviews
Not as good as the Wrecking Crew but very entertaining and informative. These singers were amazing. I loved the historical context as to their role in rock & roll. The talent was overwhelming. Just listen to Merry Clayton in Gimme Shelter and comprehend what she represented.
Could I describe this documentary as a feel-good story? It is about people telling us stories about their creative passion and career as professional backup singers. I like the documentary. I miss the old days when music was brought to life with so much creative talent and didn't feel forced upon our ears with auto-tuned trickery.
A genuinely enriching insight of appreciation towards backup singers that not only discusses their growing roles across the industry but also meaningfully passionate careers in general that they display through their talents as we join them in their infectious foot-tapping jam. (B+)
I feel bad for not enjoying this. I like the subject matter; I just don't think it was crafted in a way that engaged much of my interest. It's an aspect of the music industry that deserves to be told, but it shouldn't be this boring.
This is possibly the greatest,, non-Ken Burns and non-American Experience documentary I have ever seen. Objectively but aesthetically capturing the lives and the rise and fall of the unaccredited backup singers, who, in most cases made the song.
Equal parts inspirational and heartbreaking, the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom examines the underappreciated contributions back-up singers have made to the songs that have been the soundtrack to our lives. While many of the singers are content to remain in the shadows, others seek out the spotlight to varying degrees of success, often realizing that fame has as much to do with circumstances and fate as it does with raw talent. The film, fascinating from beginning to end, concludes with Darlene Love's touching rendition of Lean on Me, followed by a rousing take on A Fine Fine Boy with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.
Joyous documentary that profiles and celebrates some of the greatest “backup singers” working in the recording industry. Their stories are frustrating, maddening tales of singers with insane talent that never became household names. The music in the film is magnificent.
I am proudly able to entirely comprehend the sheer complexity of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, yet at the end of essentially a 1.5-hour timer I still don't fully comprehend what the hell a 'backup singer' really is.
A beautifully directed documentary with a very interesting subject that is not covered that much.
A great documentary about something I had no clue about.
It's AWARD-WINNINGly, EYE-OPENINGly, PEARL-CLUTCHINGly good. I'm typically a true-crime kinda gal, but 20 Feet From Stardom, directed by Morgan Neville, combines my love for music and social history, classic rock, and somber feels. It follows the lives of a handful of black female backup singers, whose careers spanned from the 60s to now, and the film impeccably expands the world of classic rock as we know it to shed a light on who really deserves the credit for shaping today's music. Read full review: jane-han.com/filmblog/2018/5/23/film-review-20-feet-from-stardom-2013
Had trouble staying awake but pretty entertaining otherwise - and I've had Gimme Shelter in my head constantly since.
Really great Documentary, reveals the truth about being 20 feet behind a mega star ⭐️, Excellent songs from the 70s and 80s era. If you Love ❤️ music like me, this is your film. “It’s just a shout away, it’s just a shot awayyyy
I liked it so much I watched it twice !!!
Brilliant documentary of the extremely talented back up singers of famous acts and their stories.
20 Feet from Stardom, a documentary by Morgan Neville, opens with an oddly wooden Bruce Springsteen (botox, plastic surgery?) explaining how rock-and-roll backup singers have to be even better than the headliner. Other rock demi-gods agree, but by the end of the movie we become aware that despite legions of praise by the headliners, it's only on these special occasions where backup singers get their due. Neville circles around this theme, suggesting that the lack of recognition stems from factors such as racism, record company politics, lack of ego in the singers, "fate" (a reason offered by the wizened Sting), and finally a healthy lack of ambition. While it's helpful to present options, the lack of a central point-of-view made this film less successful than it could have been for me. In the meantime though we get to see and hear some great unheralded performances. Just how vital backup singers are to a song is demonstrated in one of the first sequences, the Talking Heads "Slippery People", where, perhaps on purspose the backup vocals are muted. The backup singers add variety, dynamics, call-and-response, support, and in this particular case, some fantastic dancing. "20 Feet" then delves into the history of background singing, back to the tame, white-girl singers who would accompany crooners like Perry Como. The film then wisely focuses on some of the pioneer female black singers, including Darlene Love, who resorted to cleaning houses after he contract was manipulated by Phil Spector. We see a scene where she does a duet with Tom Jones and he does not benefit from the comparison. Merry Clayton's star turn in the Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" is played in isolation, and it gave me chills. She did the takes while pregnant and in curlers, called out of her bed to a late-night recording session. Clayton's solo career was short-lived. Above we see her belting out a version of Neal Young's "Southern Man" that knocks your socks off. "Gimme Shelter" has been sung live since 1989 by Lisa Fischer. I found her to be the most gifted of the featured artists. The explanation given for her failure to breakout as a lead singer is that she did not want to, it was not in her personality not everybody needs to grab the spotlight. Yet with all of these singers there is a wistfulness and sadness about not being able to step out of the shadows. Finally we see the up-and-comer Judith Hill. Will she make it? The film stops short of casting her as a redeeming figure, ending on an uncertain note when it comes to her solo career. After watching 2014 Winter Olympic coverage, and sitting through countless exhortative "follow your dream" big corporation commercials, I took this as a welcome grace note.
20 Feet from Stardom gives back up singers the spotlight for once, but it doesn't dig too far into extreme themes to give the subject more weight. The movie is a bit fleeting, even though it does have a good moment or two.