As "Milli Vanilli" (2023 release; 106 min) opens, we are in today's "Amsterdam", and Fabrice "Fab" Morvan digs up pictures from the good ol' days (late 80s). We then go to "1986" when Robert "Rob" Pilatus and Fab meet in Munich, pretty much the only people of color in this conservative Bavarian city. They are in their early 20s and desperate to become "stars"... At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from Luke Korem ("Dealt"). Here he reassesses the life and times of Rob and Fab, the front of Milli Vanilli whose lives were ostracized by the music industry and indeed the world at large when it turned out they had lip-synced all along. Thankfully Korem digs deeper and top executives of the record label Arista admit to knowing about it well before ti all came crashing down in 1990. Why is it that Rob and Fab were vilified but producer Frank Farian and label boss Clive Davis got off scot free? This documentary fills in the gaps very nicely, and it is long overdue to be honest.
"Milli Vanilli" premiered at last year's Tribeca Festival to immediate critical acclaim. It is currently rated 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, if you can believe it. "Milli Vanilli" started streaming on Showtime (now part of Paramount+) last Fall and I just stumbled the other day on it after watching "Thriller 40" (also on SHO). If you are a fan of Milli Vanilli, or simply interested in a footnote in the history of the Grammys, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
