REVIEW - 20 FEET FROM STARDOM

20 feet from stardom and a long way from success. These girls are right: it takes some ego to harbour a desire to step out from behind the backup mics and step into the spotlight. It exposes both a confidence and an insecurity in a singer, but beyond that, Morgan Neville's sleek and shiny documentary exposes these singers' talent. It's involving to hear them philosophise about their characters, and intriguing to hear them reminisce on their careers, but entrancing to hear them belt out a classic tune, with rich, distinctive harmonies and a surfeit of gritty emotion. That's the grit to go along with all the glitter, which certainly has its own appeal. This engaging film could actually do with relying even more heavily on its soundtrack, since this is the basis for its story and the reason for its charm. Alas, the sincerity of the storytelling produces a few bum notes, as attempts to go deep and dark do come across somewhat shallow unless your documentary is about impoverished children in Africa or the like. As a nostalgia piece, this is a fun, enlightening film on an unfortunately overlooked profession. It's when it starts to try to make a point which we already know - that these singers are more than worthy of solo careers - that 20 Feet from Stardom loses its lustre. Case in point: Judith Hill, no matter how hard you try, you will never be a world-famous singer / songwriter. It's just not gonna happen, and would that I had the time to here list the reasons why. Neville's dedication to his subjects is admirable, though, particularly in the short shrift he gives to the plentiful star acts who contribute to the film, including Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder and Mick Jagger.