Little Richard: I Am Everything

This perceptive documentary on the career and importance of Little Richard transcends the typical pop music tribute in the breadth and depth of its treatment -kudos to director Lisa Cortes.

It concisely covers many topics relevant to his rise as well as the roadblocks that were placed in his way. Being Black, Gay and a rebel added up to his becoming a revolutionary figure in popular culture. And the selection of interviewees, some famous, some less so, but all knowledgeable about facets of his life.

From his earliest influences and colleagues to the early White ripoffs of his songs starting with "Tutti Frutti" by Elvis and Pat Boone, and ultimately by an adoring Paul McCartney, the movie traces a circuitous history of a legendary performer.

His international influences are attested to by McCarthy, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones and many others -all ringing true.

Then later his turning to religion and getting involved with drugs and falling into poverty, ultimately turning against his gay identity. What emerges in this carefully crafted and structured documentary is a complex personality, living up to its title.

As "Little Richard: I Am Everything" (2023 release; 101 min.) opens, we heard from various talking heads. One of them sums it up like this: "He spit on every rule there ever was in music". "He" of course being Little Richard. We then go back in time to the early 1930s in Macon, Georgia. It might as well be the 1830s, that is how remote Macon was from everything. In that backwards, if not openly racist, midst, Little Richard was finding his way... At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Black director Lisa Cortes ("All In: The Fight For Democracy"). Here she reassesses the life and times of a rock icon who never truly received what he deserved, either critically or commercially. But that didn't stop him from pushing on. This is a rousing documentary from start to finish. Little Richard knew all too well what was going on. Or as he puts it towards the end of this enjoyable documentary: "We built the highway and they they still driving it and not paying toll".

"Little Richard: I Am Everything" was released earlier this year, to immediate acclaim. It is now playing on HBO and streaming on Max, where I saw it the other night. There is good reason why this movie is currently rated 98% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and I fully expect it will get a Best Documentary Oscar nomination in early 2024. If you have any interest in Little Richard or the history of rock and roll, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Greetings again from the darkness. Good golly! Documentarian Lisa Cortes packs a lot into this profile of Richard Wayne Penniman, better known as Little Richard. Director Cortes sticks with a familiar structure for the biopic; however, two things stood out to me about this documentary: it features remarkably little music for a musical doc, and it works well for both those who are very familiar with the legendary performer and those needing an introduction.

In cradle-to-grave fashion, we learn about Richard's mother and father, and that he was one of 12 children in the family from Macon, Georgia. Plenty of photographs and clips from the era are included, and things really kick in when the history of "Tutti Frutti" is discussed. Shifting a bit from its original meaning, Little Richard served up a searing version that shocked many. But what shocked him is that much tamer versions from Elvis and especially Pat Boone outsold his. I particularly enjoyed learning that Little Richard picked up his famous scream from gospel singer Marion Williams.

Ms. Cortes utilizes many interviews by Little Richard himself to cover his complex life filled with contradictions and new paths. His father kicked him out of the house for being gay, setting him up for a lifetime of searching for his true identity. Richard's track included pushing the early boundaries of rock and roll, pushing further boundaries in the world of queerness, exploring many facets of religion and attempting to balance his belief in the bible with his love of orgies, and his lifelong search for a true identity.

It was the 1956 film, THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, that provided most people's first glance of Little Richard performing. The same can be said for Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent, among others, but none had the impact or the look and music of Little Richard. His many hits after "Tutti Frutti" included "Long Tall Sally", "Lucille", and of course, "Good Golly, Miss Molly". It's fascinating to hear Mick Jagger, John Waters, Tom Jones, and others provide the acknowledgment of Little Richard's influence, however, even more interesting is listening to Little Richard himself walk us through his various stages of being. This is a man who, lacking an ounce of humility, proclaims, "I'm the one who started it all", referencing Rock and Roll. He's also the man who renounced his gay identity in order to embrace religion and begin preaching.

Little Richard was a master showman with a daring and hyper-energetic stage presence. None other than The Rolling Stones once opened for him on tour. His tongue-in-cheek catchphrase became "Shut up", and he was heavily into drugs during the 1970's. Little Richard was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986, and he has taken credit for the success of most every rock star over the last 70 years ... and the fabulous closing montage makes it difficult to argue. Director Cortes does justice to the complex life of a complicated and talented man, and 'Good Golly', that was no easy task.

Opening in theaters and on Digital beginning April 21, 2023.

This is a great and well done rockumentary. Little Richard was such a deeply complex and talented and conflicted individual. This movie, produced by CNN, captures very effectively the many facets of his life a career. Through archival footage, interviews old and new, and storytelling we learn about the musical influence of this trailblazer who impacted the Beatles, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Prince, Michael Jackson, and more. We also see the painful conflict regarding Little Richard's deeply complex relationship with himself-with his image, with his sexuality, and his relationship with God. This is a moving film. I loved it.

When Little Richard passed on in 2020 most of the news stories followed the familiar tale of the man as one of the founders of rock in the 50s who found religion, dropped out and then came back to the "devil's music". This film does a good job fleshing out Richard's story and delve deep into his background and the full arc of his life and career.

The CNN film paints a pretty detailed picture of Richards' complicated life. The doc highlights the central tension of his sexuality and 'evils' of rock n roll versus his religious upbringing. He had at least two major breaks from pop music which damaged his career commercially (he never again had a Top 40 single after first leaving rock in the late 50s). Richards' homosexuality was never truly hidden, but he himself was a contradiction by marrying a woman and renouncing his own lifestyle at times. It haunted him until the very end.

Despite his up and down career as a musician, his influence was phenomenal and both docs have testimonials from everyone like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger to David Bowie. John Waters states that his pencil mustache is his decades long tribute to Richards' trademark 'stache. One of the "villains" of the piece is Pat Boone, who did toned down covers of Richards' songs to greater commercial success with white audiences.