Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over

Besides the incredible talent, Miss Warwick is the epitome of soul, class and glamour.

This docufilm goes back to her roots and early beginnings. It is interesting to hear about all the other talents who got their start at the Apollo Theatre. She also tells a story about touring the south back in the 1950s. She said, "I had never been treated like that before." Well, at least she wasn't treated badly in the north, for the most part. Thank goodness for that at least.

It touches on her financial problems but doesn't go into her strange oddyssey with the psychic network. It also ignores her turn as the glamorous and regal host of Solid Gold.

What impressed me further was her taking on gangsta rap for their misogynistic lyrics. Only SHE could pull that off!

I don't get Snoop saying she paved the way for people like him. Apples and Oranges.

One of the best docs I've seen. I'd forgotten how many great songs Dionne Warwick had made, but I enjoyed even more the reminders, revelations and details about her life offstage: the refusal to back down when pitted against Southern racism and segregation; the fight for AIDS awareness, including raising tens of millions of dollars for AMFAR through the song "That's What Friends Are For"; the sit down with gangsta rappers to explain to them that their misogynistic lyrics were harmful and the impact that had on Snoop Dogg; and of course, the most important thing, the incredible loving relationship she has with her sons, despite the fact that she was an international star, in constant demand all over Europe as well as the U. S. Director Dave Wooley deftly pulls it all together in a beautiful way. I highly recommend this great piece of filmmaking.

Finally caught it on 3rd day of 2023. Couldn't do so via CNN while on flight back home from holidays. No documentary can respectfully contain all the great moments of Dionne's music and her life; its just that full. I had the great blessing of meeting, chatting, hugging and cheek kissing Lady Dionne with precious selfies a long while back, when she was part of an annual tennis charity event in Singapore. This bio documentary is a wonderful homage to not only a living iconic legend, but a known proven humanitarian. Her incredible catalog and gamut of many song gems are mind boggling. I am fortunate to own all her releases and many songs that weren't on charts are nevertheless seemingly timeless hit songs on slow burners for anyone for any era. This presentation gives viewers just a glimpse of just some of the magnificent body of work she graced through so far from her never dull moments of her charmed life with family, friends, colleagues, community, industry, charities and anyone and everyone that mattered. It's uplifting both musically and very inspiring to see her stoic defiant courage in the midst of heavily sanctioned racial situations while on tour and similarly her do or die, F*U, risk it all or nothing on her career future by globally elevating the vital stigmatized movement of the AIDS crusade then by donating 100% of proceeds of her iconic anthem TWFAF, to AIDS research. Humanity above her own commercial legacy. Truly Divine. I salute and will always adore you, Lady Dionne.

Segue: To each his/her own, but I must, for once, am compelled to condemn the vile and purid review here by patriamcanany, titled, Fallen Star. Not only did she not watch the documentary, but has the audacity to put on her KKK hat and launch a honey boo boo self inflated role to diss out advice, based on just getting high on trailers? OMG! -you are a true abomination of the word. Now Walk On By- Period!

A very straight-forward endless parade of compliments by everybody from Elton John to Bill Clinton. Not that she deserves anything less. Mrs. Warwick is one of the all time greats. What really anoyed me from the start was me thinking there was something wrong with my TV. Everything was so digitally polished that the people looked like computer-animated cartoons or filtered profile pictures on tinder. It was at some point terrible to watch at. Maybe it was just the lightning (wich I doubt) People in their 70's/80's looking younger (weirder) than ever. Wich is very ironic because all and all it's all about soul. Yet everybody looked soulles. I hope this doesn't become a trend in biographical documentary's. I like my humans to look like, I don't know, humans...

Somewhat typical/predictable in that the slew of notables interviewed are generally fawning in their praise; but less typical in that there is quite a bit of first-person commentary from Ms. Warwick herself on the various stages of her career, and an added bonus is that her commentary is notably objective. There are a nice number of clips showing her performing many hits from over the years, though not much footage from the recording studio showing the "making of the sausage." Some detail is shared about the recording of a few numbers, but that welcome, back-story perspective of specific songs is relatively sparse.