AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

rooprect I came close to giving this film a saggy review because I was left feeling unsatisfied. Then I reluctantly popped in Disc 2 to see the extras, and wow! That's the stuff I was waiting for."Standing in the Shadows of Motown" (the feature film) is a broad overview of the Detroit phenomenon known as The Funk Brothers whose music has touched every human life on this planet. The documentary is well-produced and polished, but it misses some of the details that we might hunger for.What challenges or tragedies did these people face? How did the group deal with certain members' substance abuse, depression, mania? What sort of camaraderie did they have? Any racial tensions? What makes their individual styles unique? Who is still alive today? How did so-and-so die?Few, if any, of these questions are answered in the feature film. In fact some of these issues were conspicuously avoided (and scenes deleted) almost as if the film producers decided to keep it cheerful & breezy instead of giving us the whole truth. The overriding theme of this film is that the Motown groove makes people happy, so it does make sense that they would cut out the sadder/tragic elements."Standing in the Shadows of Motown" takes the format of a collection of reminiscences, like browsing through an old photo album with friends. Interviews are garnished with old images, footage, and some re-created scenes with actors. Intermittantly we cut to the reunion concert for a song featuring well known contemporary singers. The feature film is oozing with feel-good nostalgia, mentioning only as footnotes how certain individuals were "tortured artists" or "battled with addiction". There was at least one powerful buildup to a tragic death, completely sidestepped to the point that I had to pause the movie and google how so-and-so died.Disc 2, I'm happy to report, fills in all the blanks. I would suggest first watching the featurette "The Ones That Didn't Make It" which tells you which of the Funk Brothers survived to see the completion of the film, who died during production, and who died before ever knowing they would be immortalized in this film. It's not just a macabre desire to know who's dead that interested me, but this featurette gave me more of an intimate connection with those who didn't survive. And it made me want to re-watch their interviews & performances so I could soak in every note.Disc 2 also has some raw yet emotional footage of the gang getting back together for the first time, hugging, joking and speaking incoherently in their secret code (literally, a secret language of pig-Latin and skatting fused together). I feel like the main feature could have used these scenes to establish the love they had for each other, transcending racial & cultural differences. Instead, the main feature focuses mostly on individual interviews, instead of everyone together in the same room.But for me, and for any musician-wannabe, the feature that knocked it out of the park was the multi-angle jam sessions. With your DVD remote you can choose what instrument you want to watch during their rehearsals. You can really scrutinize their technique, their gear and their style. THAT's what this film should have focused on... not just the story of a bunch of unsung heroes, but what made them heroes? What made this bunch of guys different from any other well-trained, skilled musician? Their performances say more than anyone could ever say, and the ability for us to pick what/whom we're looking at is a real treat for those of us who want to play musical detective.In all, this is an important film that all music lovers & musicians should see. Disc 2 is fantastic. The Disc 1 feature is good but not my favorite music documentary because it didn't really dig deep or pull together a story (which Disc 2 does much better). For a great example of a music storytelling documentary, check out "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" even if you're not an 80s metal fan; it's just a great story about a bunch of lovable guys who missed their shot.As for the Funk Brothers themselves, all hail. Thank you, sirs, for making the world a shade brighter. I finish with a quote spoken by Hugh Grant in the movie "Music & Lyrics"..."You can take all the novels in the world, and not one of them will make you feel as good as fast as... (sings) 'I've got sunshine... On a cloudy day...' "

moonspinner55 Cocky jazz musicians in the Detroit area circa 1958 were recruited by fledgling Motown record label founder Berry Gordy to play uncredited back-up on songs by Mary Wells, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Marvelettes, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye--racking up session work on more #1 hits than all other rock and R&B groups put together. This documentary on the unsung Funk Brothers is a bit scattered about, with reunion concert footage mixed in with interviews and reenactments, but I'm a sucker for movies where old-timers go back to the haunts of their youth (which take on a miraculous glow, mitigating the rough times and the hard work spent there). It's rather presumptuous for one of the Brothers' contemporaries to say these songs would have worked no matter who was singing, but I don't think "Deputy Dawg" could have taken "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" to the top of the charts. In essence, the songwriters and the superstar groups who propelled these classics are given short shrift in favor of spotlighting the talents of these truly wonderful musicians, however the collaborative nature of Motown (or, indeed, of any major record label) is hardly touched upon. ** from ****

bob the moo Everybody knows Motown music and pretty much everybody loves some if not all of the music and artists that came out of that stable. However not many people can name the group of musicians that supported the majority of these artists and are credited as the musical foundation for Motown records. That group of thirteen men became known as the Funk Brothers and this is the story of how they came together and influenced an entire generation of music.With so many reasons to make this documentary worth seeing, is there a reason why it is comparatively hard to find? Anyway, the story told here is not a great story but a collection of simple personal stories that come together to provide the story of the funk Brothers both as people but also as a group. On this level it is interesting, mixing some re-enactments with old footage/photographs but mainly talking heads with the surviving members of the group. The recollections are edited together well to construct a time-line of tales that manage to capture the personal side but also the scale of the influence the music (and the group) had at the time. On top of this, performances of the music for which they are famous are cut in every 10/15 minutes or so. While these are as funky as ever, it would have been nice to see more famous singers performing with them.Then again, maybe it was a deliberate decision to have the singers only be a couple of people who are not that well-known, in order to make sure that it is the musicians who get more attention than the singers – after all, isn't that why most people know the original artists but not the musicians? Also it may have been to back up the claim made early in the film by Jordan that anybody could have sung these songs and the Funk Brothers would have made them sound good! The music does still sound good although I suppose it depends how possessive you are about the originals – for example I didn't mind any of the changes except I didn't think a great deal of Chaka Khan doing "What's Going On?" because I just couldn't imagine anyone else doing it.Overall though, this film hits all the right notes in every sense of the phrase. It is informative and personal in equal measures and, although the original artists are not singing, the musical numbers are as funky as ever and show the influence the Funky Brothers had – crossing oceans, genres and generations.

guineabrat The success of the Motown sound was equal parts amazing songwriting, dynamic performers, tight production, talented musicians and Barry Gordy's genius for creating a sound and marketing it. This documentary would like you to believe that the success of Motown relied solely on this corps of studio musicians. Not only untrue, but the musicians are likely the least critical contributors to that success.A more interesting film would have a complete telling of the Motown phenomenon giving the musicians their due in proper perspective - or even an exploration of studio musicians in general.The performances are fun, but the esoteric singers seem to draw attention away from the Funk Bros. and end up making a stronger case for the greatness of the songwriting than for mastery of the musicians.