Absolutely brilliant

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

"20 Feet from Stardom" is immensely enjoyable, affectionate and profoundly compassionate look at the life and destines of background singers, hence the title. It is something I was aware long ago - probably back in the 1980s when I was teenager listening than-current pop hit "Culture Club" and quickly noted that backing vocals of Helen Terry were far superior to the main singer. Through the years it became kind of hobby to spot great background voices without whom the final results would never be the same, it seems no matter how great stars were, they often shone even better (or were inspired by) when they have brilliant and oh-so-brief support from the background. This documentary finally set the record straight - yes, these anonymous voices are equally important and as someone noted, trough the years stars change but musicians and backing vocals on the stage always stay there constantly present.Tons of famous people here talk about phenomenon of backing vocalists - everybody from Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Sting and Bruce Springsteen theorize about importance of background singers on their albums and that little/huge step that separates musician from a star. Some of those girls are actually far more comfortable in the background than being in the spotlight. Naturally there is a thrill of ambition but also a frustration when promises and plans don't work out. Many of them were so celebrated in the field that they always found work, but even more of them suffered humiliations, cheating and simply quick change of music trends. What is most fascinating is something I always wondered about - some of these backing vocalists are honest-to-God far superior singers than many solo artists.Bette Midler makes interesting statement when she describes music industry in 1950s where backing vocalists were without exception mostly white, sugary and cheerful voices until early 1960s when Phil Spector and the whole girl-group phenomenon finally ushered powerful black voices on the scene. Here is where mighty Darlene Love comes in the picture and she is legendary background singer on whose shoulder everybody else was standing ever since - even with the fact that she was impoverished and anonymous (reduced to cleaning houses) when her hit singles played on the radio, people like Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder paid attention to that girl in the background. Documentary also follows destines of other voices like Mable John (a former Raelette behind Ray Charles), ex-Ikette Claudia Lennear, powerhouse voices like Merry Clayton and Tata Vega (who sang in "Color Purple"), people like The Waters Family (who sang behind every possible project imaginable) up to present time with Judith Hill (behind Michael Jackson) and most fascinating of all, Lisa Fischer who is in words of Chris Botti "a freak of nature" and can sing circles around everybody in the business - just watching her singing is seriously life-changing experience because this girl sings from a deep spiritual place from somewhere inside her and though people in the industry recognize this (she is often not just backing vocalist on Sting/The Rolling Stones/Tina Turner tours but constantly given solo spot to shine) her career never really took off. She got herself "Grammy" for one album and than disappeared in the background again - Patti Austin thinks that no matter how strange this might sounds, some people genuinely prefer camaraderie and joy of group creation to celebrity status. Tata Vega thinks that this is a true, spiritual magic of music and not anything else about the business. Lastly, Merry Clayton is still crushed when decades after her solo albums went nowhere reminisces how she expected that if she gave everything honestly and from the heart, the success will happen automatically. (She was the unforgettable voice behind "Gimme shelter" on The Rolling Stones classic). I truly enjoyed this movie and was even more excited to find out it was awarded with "Oscar" for the best documentary, which gave chance to Darlene Love to stand on the Academy Award podium and raise that powerful voice to the skies. She really unleashed it and its impossible to watch that moment without celebrating it together with her. Raise the glass for all the ladies from the background because they deserve it.

The Oscar-winning documentary "20 Feet from Stardom" does a credible job in depicting the highs & lows of past & present background singers. And while non-music fans might think "20 Feet from Stardom" is more like "20 scenes of Boredom", it still authentically highlights the much underrated role of the background singer. There are many heavy-hitting recording artists that speak of their background singers; those artists include Mick Jagger, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Bette Midler, Bruce Springsteen and others; not too shabby of a lineup. But the real voice of "20 Feet From Stardom" is when Writer-Director Morgan Neville interviews the background singers and they reveal their incredible elevator rides in their careers. OK, that was my high pitch for "20 Feet From Stardom". **** Good

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.

There is too much negativity, especially in the end, around the question why some of the talents in the documentary did not become more successful. This rather sour taste becomes a bit too profound in the end, spoiling the pleasure of watching the rest previous part of it. Other than that great talents singing great music! Although it would be more joyful to see a larger variety of artists. I notice a slight tendency in myself of getting bored with the circle of documented people. That could have to do with the negative aspect. I would like to see more documentaries like this, because the subject is interesting enough.