Standing in the Shadows of Motown Critic Reviews

Offers terrific interviews with the surviving Funk Brothers, who provide a tasty insider history of 4 a.m. recording sessions inside ''the snake pit'' (as the fabled Studio A was known) as well as a chilling description of their final kiss-off from Berry Gordy, the Motown mogul who treated them like indentured servants.Read the full review

So good because it is one of those rare documentaries that combine information with smashing entertainment.Read the full review

A glorious feature-length documentary -- This film will leave an indentment, and a deep one, on anyone who loves great, joyous music and cares about the people who make it.Read the full review

It's a thrill to listen to the seasoned survivors offering witty, evocative anecdotes about themselves and others.Read the full review

One hell of a party, and it doesn't let anything get in the way of that.Read the full review

Catches magic on the screen -- a behind-the-curtain peek at some of the world's best-loved music, straight from the cats who made it happen.Read the full review

Interlaces interviews with the surviving Funk Brothers with new performances of many of the hit songs, and some sequences in which events of the past are re-created. The flashback sequences are not especially effective, but are probably better than more talking heads. Or maybe not.Read the full review

The film is a testament to art, life and survival like the similar but superior "Buena Vista Social Club."Read the full review

The film works on both a human-interest level -- focusing on the travails of the band members now finally receiving their well-earned due -- and as a slice of Motown's early history.Read the full review