iamyuno2 This is ostensibly a documentary - and that's one side of it - but it's also a tragedy...and a must-see film for those who don't realize how the music industry eats up the talented and spits them out without consequence. More specifically, here's the story of Motown's Detroit glory years - and, especially, the unsung talents who achieved greatness without credit or proper remuneration. Fans of Berry Gordy are likely to lose some respect for him (as I did) as they learn how the musicians in the Motown sweatshop he ran churned out hit after hit only to be kicked in the butt, greatly underpaid for their services and later unceremoniously abandoned when Gordy left Detroit for glitzier digs in LA. Yes, as this film shows, Gordy was a business genius - he created a Ford-like hit factory like no one else, with a stable of songwriters, frontmen and women and a core of musicians who played behind a huge number of hits from the '60s and '70s (the subjects of this film). But - as this documentary reveals for the first time - Gordy was also tyrannical, unconscionably demanding, cold, cheap and unappreciative and he left in his wake real devastation, real tragedies.What an incredible story - and so sad. Yet along the way, you get to know many unsung musicians you absolutely must get to know. These are talents who must not be forgotten. They were responsible for a huge number of hits we all love yet they never got credit for the great talent they had or the work they put in - or the incredible number of top hits they played behind. They were the driving Motown sound, faceless and nameless. Finally...here's a documentary to right some of the wrongs - to give credit where credit is due. Here is a quintessential American story that must be told. And - tragic as it is - it is also truly incredible.

ThingyBlahBlah3 I think the positive reviews pretty much covered what I value in this documentary. It's great to see such unappreciated talent finally get its day in the sun, the Funk Brothers are a hilarious and energetic bunch of guys in front of the camera, their stories contain plenty of wisdom and humor, and of course all of the music is pure perfection. The ground-level viewpoint of a session musician working for Berry Gordy is a very valuable addition to Motown history, especially as he did everything in his power to keep them out of it.It seems that most of the people who had problems with this movie are focused on the live performances, and particularly the choice of singers. While I found the songs worth listening to (and it was nice to finally see the guys playing together after 40 years), I suppose I'd justify the choice of singers in two ways:(1) This was a low-budget movie, and there wasn't money to bring in the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bono, or Stevie Wonder, so the producers had to take what they could get in the form of Gerald Levert, Joan Osborne, and Bootsy Collins (a fantabulous bass player and undisputed funk icon, but nobody's idea of a great singer).(2) It was a subtle attempt to prove the movie's thesis. If, indeed, the Funk Brothers were the secret ingredient in the Motown sound, what better way to prove it than to have them backing up some mostly* second-rate singers and STILL make it sound like a million bucks?* - I exclude Meshell Ndegeocello from that generalization.

spider-82 The mere fact that these 13 people created so much of the best of American music in virtual anonymity is reason enough to watch this movie. But the performances of those great songs...lots of them, make it a really special movie. I think they could have found some better current singers to perform with them in the concert but even Joan Osbourne can sound good with the Funk Brothers playing behind her. Maybe that's the point of the movie. Steve Jordan said it best though when he said that Deputy Dog could have sung to their tracks and made hits. And just for the record, I was kind of proud that at least 2 of the 13 were Caucasian. :-)

rodew I really loved this documentary. Three key points: (1) I applaud the spirit and energy to put the project- long overdue recognition and praise for great musicians- together. I happen to be a fan of the Temptations movie and saw this DVD next to it. Had I not bought it on a whim, I would be so much more empty. (2) James Jamerson-I would love a documentary on him alone. Not because of his quirks, but because of his tortured spirits; a great movie-making project! Also, upon my research of this topic after seeing this film, I came across an extensive web site, bassplayer.com, with a great tribute page to Jamerson. Among the most outrageous discussions that have not been resolved to my knowledge- who played bass on Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her"? The majority of folks strongly contend it was James Jamerson, however, a woman named Carol Kaye states she was the actual bass player for the song.I don't know the truth, but I do know that after never hearing the bass in the song for the 30+ plus that this has been one of my all-time favorite songs, I ONLY hear the bass line. That bass line is so masterful, so exceptional, and so unrelentingly funky, that I believe only a virtuoso could have done it. The fact that that song and bass line were done in 1966/67, amidst so many hundreds of other Motown hits and other songs, tells me that the Funk Brothers and James Jamerson were truly blessed talents.(3) Chaka Khan's rendition of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" is undoubtedly the very best performance I have ever seen her do and is among the top performances ever recorded. That she won a Grammy for the song is amazing. She actually sang it in 2000; the movie was released in 2002 and won the Grammy in 2003! I get teary every time I hear her singing the song in the movie(I replayed this section at least 10 times when I first saw the movie) and I don't think she will ever have another brilliant performance that would match that intensity. Bottom line: I strongly recommend this movie and subsequent deeper research into other great R&B music roots. Rod Walker