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Critics Consensus: Rich, insightful, and occasionally heartbreaking, 20 Feet From Stardom is an energetic tribute to the passion, talent, and hard work of backup singers.
Critic Consensus: Rich, insightful, and occasionally heartbreaking, 20 Feet From Stardom is an energetic tribute to the passion, talent, and hard work of backup singers.
All Critics (118) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (117) | Rotten (1)
It's that versatility that defines these singers, the ability to make following seem as important as leading.
The documentary tells similarly poignant stories in a fast-paced 91 minutes through interviews, contemporary concert footage and great archival stuff.
As long as you're hearing the singing and stories of Lisa Fischer, Merry Clayton, and the great Darlene Love, you can bliss out on their passion.
The movie takes its cues from Standing in the Shadows of Motown, another act of pop-culture revisionism that tried to give musical credit where it was due.
Just about everything in this movie is right. And anybody who gives a rip about unsung heroines of popular music and giving credit when credit's overdue had better come up with a good excuse not to see it.
You may never hear the Rolling Stones's Gimme Shelter the same way again after hearing Jagger's and Clayton's separate accounts of the recording of the song.
20 Feet has fingers in a lot of narrative pies, but it's most interesting when it focuses on the singers' struggles in a historical context.
As much bittersweet as inspirational.
It certainly a must watch for music lovers and for those curious to see the pivotal role that back-up singers played in shaping pop and rock classics of the 60s and 70s.
Artists including Mick Jagger talk about their backing singers -- and the soundtrack is, of course, heavenly.
Joyous, uplifting, melancholy and nostalgic, Twenty Feet From Stardom is a stunning salute to the singers who stay in the background, but whose talents can never be contained there.
While there are moments in the film awkwardly placed to achieve moments of pensiveness from the talent, what it does well is offers a point of view where there wasn't before.
An interesting and occasionally poignant insight into the work of these talented artists unfairly neglected in the background of fame, even if the rather clumsy editing also makes it a bit hard for us to keep our interest for too long, as it scatters their stories together.
Super Reviewer
Entertaining look at the world of backup singers, "20 Feet From Stardom" is a treat. The best moments are when the performers' faces are in full frame as they listen to their old recording - the memories flying in their minds. The documentary touches on the highs and the lows of the music business for these performers and never fails to entertain. The only issue with "Stardom" is how it jumps from interview to interview leaving very little time for facts to sink in and to settle - you get to know the major players but the minor players that are extensively interviews aren't given much chance to connect. Yet "20 Feet From Stardom" proves to be an in-tune documentary that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve.
Following the lives of background singers of famous artists from the past, "20 Feet From Stardom" is a very inspirational documentary that tells you that whatever your dreams may be, nothing is impossible and you always have to start somewhere, even if that somewhere seems to be getting you nowhere. Sure, the film does not have much of a linear story to follow, but it is more of a feel-good series of stories that drives this pictures to be loved by all. I did not love watching this film as some probably will, but I really really enjoyed it. This film gives me motivation to continue pursuing my passion and not to accept just any job forever. This is a very well-made documentary. A great contender for the Oscars.
20 Feet From Stardom is a terrific documentary on backup singers that have sung with some of music's greatest artists. This film features terrific interviews from famous backup singers that tell their story. These women are very talented, every one of them are far better than today's "artists". Yet, despite the fact they've been on multiple legendary recordings, they've always shied away from real fame. This is a must see for music lovers of all genres, and it is an in depth look at what they have accomplished. I really loved the film, and I think it's an important film as it showcases really talented singers that deserve to be recognized. In terms of documentary filmmaking, this film manages to get into its subject very well and be very engaging. I wish however, they would have made the film much longer. I think that they managed to cover a lot of ground with what the filmmakers were able to get on film, but, backup singers are a topic that needs a much longer film in order to really make it something memorable. The film is a very well executed documentary, but it does have its flaws. The most important part of the film is exposing the talent that these singers have, and bringing to light their legacy in the genre. For that, 20 Feet From Stardom delivers, but there are things that could have been improved upon as well. Still for any music lover, this is a must watch, and it showcases the talents of these women perfectly. 20 Feet From Stardom is a very good picture that should have been great. The only problem here is that it's short, and therefore it does a bit to be desired.
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