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You won't be disappointed!

Lack of good storyline.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Brilliant and touching

Somewhere I do hope there is a special hell for Berry Gordy, who milked the talents of these hard-working natural gods, paying them scale, and selling their golden fruits by the millions. I guess it's a good thing that little of that was directly mentioned in the movie, because it would have made it that much more bittersweet. Still, these guys did seem to have had a great time while it lasted, and they got to be part of a very special family who all meant the world to each other. To see the old fellas in their sailor caps at the reunion concert, they don't really look so much like the groovemonsters they once were, more like some guys hanging out at the corner barbershop, but plenty of photos and interviews show that old spark just fine. Lots of songs in the reunion groove along pretty well, but I definitely thought that was the weakest part of the show. Big stretched out epic endings, totally inappropriate for such compact soulfulness, and moreso, a definite feeling of damn, how the hell did this take so damn long to happen.I found almost all of the featured marquee-name vocalists to be a yawn. I guess they felt like they should pipe down and not overshadow the real stars, but with material like this, I think you need to bring it, or step aside. Joan Osbourne in particular turned it all the way up to 7, and Msh'l Ongedoodly made me roll my eyes with her mannered clichés. Ben Harper didn't even belong near the stage; definitely set my teeth on edge when they talked about the nice split groove of "Heard It Through the Grapevine", then he comes in dead square on the beat and makes the band hurry and play catch-up to his empty ersatz. Bootsy, well he's just Bootsy, ever-lovable showman, can't really fault him. The only performer that really carried it right was Chaka Khan, with her easy confidence, not even trying to live up to the original passion of "What's Going' On" (why even try, what a gem), but shining grand all the same.And then it all comes home with the vast jumble of song titles fluttering up at the end; so hard to believe all of those great timeless classics were actually written, just grew organically out of the talents of a scruffy basement full of under-appreciated geniuses.Hey Mr. Gordy, have a nice look at yourself in the mirror.

What a late, but appropriate tribute to the men behind the Motown sound. I love documentaries, and this one was particularly moving, because I grew listening to the Motown sound. I used to listen to it until I fell asleep at night (this was before we had TVs in every bedroom), and I woke up to the sound in the morning. I was even encouraged to pantomime to Motown tunes (and others) by my grandfather, who generously gave me a quarter after one of my performances, when I was 5, 6 and 7 years old. (Thank God I grew out of that phase or and my sister and cousins were very glad that it was over too.) I guess the reason I fought back the tears was because of the memories that each song they played and artist that was profiled brought back. There was nothing like that Funk Brothers beat! Those brothers need a memorial somewhere, and really should be inducted into a Hall of Fame of some sort. The Motown sound changed the sound of rhythm and blues, and the Funk Brothers were a major force behind it. A music scholarship in their name would be an appropriate tribute, as well.God bless all of you guys for doing such a great job.

I am not a hard core Motown fan, but I have to give this film a 10, because it's the best music documentary I have seen. With just the right mix of interview footage, historical photos, and live performance, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN takes its place alongside THE LAST WALTZ as a cinematic cornerstone of music history.Musicians will especially like some of the technical discussions, such as details about how legendary bassist James Jamerson produced his famous groove.The live musical performances are inspired, with modern singers covering Motown classics, accompanied by the Funk Brothers themselves. I have watched the DVD of this film, and more recently, the high-definition version on ShowtimeHD. The 5.1 soundtrack is impeccably mixed. You can hear every instrument clearly, but the vocalist is not drowned out. With this type of mix, you want to listen to your favorite numbers over and over, concentrating on a different part each time. And, you can rest assured that there is no lip syncing or studio overdubbing. This is real music for real people.All of the vocalists are superb, creatively interpreting each song, while at the same time paying respect to the style of the original recording artists. Viewers will have their own favorite performers, but mine is Joan Osborne, whose powerful rendition of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" brought tears to my eyes.

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