Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

robert-259-28954 As a professional musician myself, it was particularly wonderful to see these marvelous singers and entertainers finally getting their full due in a film all their own. So often, singers with far less talent get the spotlight, with these incredibly brilliant voices so often left behind, or worse still, never given the credit their stellar talent truly deserves. This film, happily, fills that void. You could say the same of great actors. Only a handful of them get the attention, while so many others, often more talented, have to make due with being the perpetual "second fiddle." That said, I also noticed that the one thing that often separates great background singers from great soloists is something I simply call, "charisma," that hard to describe, magnetic, magical quality that makes someone able to take that spotlight, and fill it. Although there are those who have made successful careers largely built upon physical looks alone, this singular characteristic is the one that separates the stars from the "also-rans," in my opinion. But in any regard, this film never fails to capture this elusive quality, while still giving these amazing talents the accolades that they've so rightfully earned. Well worth watching.

Charles Herold (cherold) I can't say I ever thought much about backup singers. Now I won't be able to watch any performance without wondering about the lives and aspirations of those off to the side. The stories are interesting, as are the discussions of the puzzling nature of fame in the music industry. It's also fascinating to see how much these people *love* singing and music. Many of them seem to love it more than the people they back up; they live purely within the song.Even though the movie was only 90 minutes, it felt a little long to me; at a certain point it felt like they'd said everything they had to say and were just repeating themselves and showing us a few more songs. But it was very engrossing for most of the way through.I don't really believe the performers who tried at, and failed to reach, solo success; sure they say now it's probably for the best, but I'll bet any of them would still take it if it was just handed to them.The talent exhibited is pretty impressive, especially Lisa Fischer, who is a truly phenomenal singer. On the other hand, when you actually look into the solo albums of some of these people, you can see that their lack of success isn't that puzzling. I found a video with Fischer that is some generic song that fails to show her range; any competent singer could have done it. And that's the thing, it doesn't matter how talented you are if you don't have a vision, or have a producer with a vision. And that vision has to resonate with people. Yes, these people had incredible talent (and at least one of them probably did have a great album), but in a way what the movie shows is how talent is only a small part of the equation.

hazysistersunshine33 This is a documentary revolving around several back up singers and their struggles in the music business and how talented they are and how they never became famous. It's kind of sad how these people worked so hard and had as much talent as the celebs they sang back up for and now they have trouble paying their bills. I thought it could've been expanded out more though. They seem to only concentrate on a few specific singers. It was more of a human interest documentary. I would've like to have seen something more informational that delved into the history of back up singers and how they got started. Other than Bruce Springsteen, it pretty much just concentrated on R&B, which I love. I just would've liked to have seen the different types of music sung by the back up singers. Don't get me wrong, it had it's moments that were interesting and heart warming. I just found it a little to dull to have won the Oscar.

estebangonzalez10 "Their songs are legendary, but they are 20 feet from stardom"If someone were to ask you if you know who Merry Clayton, Darlene Love, Claudia Lennear, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, or Judith Hill are you would probably have no clue, but I can guarantee you that you have heard their voices and hummed their music many times (and if you are too young to recall these songs, I guarantee you that the artists you listen to now have been highly influenced by their music). These talented ladies have spent most their lives singing in the background for such talented artists as Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Ray, Michael Jackson, and so on. Director, Morgan Neville, gives these ladies the opportunity to finally take center stage and share their testimonies and experiences with the audience in this fascinating and engaging documentary. There is just something uplifting about being able to listen to what they have to say and finally receiving some credit for their major contribution in helping shape music across the globe (beginning in the 50's with the Motown revolution). They may have never made it as leading singers, but the passion these women have for music transcends the camera and listening to their testimonies almost becomes a religious experience in itself. The film has some compelling interviews and uses archives really well to set the tone and take us through a history lesson in music. I also enjoyed the interviews with the famous artists like Stevie Wonder, Sting, and Mick Jagger who spoke very fondly of these women who have played an instrumental part in their music. It is hard to resist a documentary like this with such uplifting music.Getting to hear the testimonies of some of these talented ladies was probably the highlight of this documentary, although at times some of the interviews really didn't seem to be going anywhere. At other times they raised questions that they sort of left out in the air and only scratched the surface instead of delving deep. The documentary was a bit uneven in that sense, but every time I thought I was going to get irritated by it, the music and the passion these people have for it brought me right back in. I can see how this film attracted Academy voters as it won for best documentary feature, but by no means do I think it was the best documentary of the year. It is good to give these ladies credit for their contribution to the music industry, but the documentary never feels groundbreaking. After Searching for Sugarman's Oscar win last year, this marks the second year in a row in which a music themed documentary wins the Academy's votes, and there has sort of been a shift in the voters from political themes aiming towards the artistic side. It was an entertaining and uplifting documentary and I am glad I got to know a little more about these women and understand the passion they share for music. The 90 minute documentary succeeds in giving these ladies a voice of their own and making the audience appreciate the work and sacrifice it takes to be a backup singer.