SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! If you don’t know Little Richard, you will know now because the director of Little Richard: I Am Everything, Lisa Cortés, holds nothing back in revealing the life of the legendary rock star and his infinite influence on popular music and entertainment culture. A multi-faceted documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything educates and explains the depths, passion, and dedication of Little Richard, born Richard Wayne Penniman, one of 12 children in Macon, Georgia, poor and black but raised by a devoted, religious mother with an estranged father.

Committed to his art and musical talent once he discovered singing in church and playing the piano at a very early age, it would not be long before Little Richard’s influence would be known throughout the world, especially with the multitude of rock stars whom he touched—Mick Jagger, David Bowie, The Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as an endless amount of celebrated music and artist legends including filmmaker John Waters, whose mustache is his “twisted” homage to Little Richard.

The energy and enthusiasm that propelled Little Richard into the spotlight and his constant drive to explore and break boundaries were enormous, just like his personality. But, once on the road to success, even as a queer black man from the segregated South, he never stopped caring about people nor let anyone bother him or take him down, and there was plenty out there ready to crush him.

Little Richard appears in Little Richard: I Am Everything by Lisa Cortes, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

“…explains the depths, passion, and dedication of Little Richard, born Richard Wayne Penniman…”

Little Richard’s story is supported by fantastic research, interviews, archival images and footage, and wise scholars who deconstruct the many levels on which Little Richard existed. They pinpoint the factors of a post-World War II economy, government, and culture where things changed, as did many people’s views and ideas, allowing Little Richard to flourish but also focusing on how and why he existed in a tormented state. Little Richard struggled with his relationship with God and his life, which he entered and exited several times throughout his life, and being queer, which was not only sexual.

Even though Little Richard’s music never gets old with hits that include “Tutti Frutti,” “Lucille,” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” along with so many others, Little Richard’s iconic existence with his powerful piano playing, stage presence, and persona prevailed even more. The hilarious clips of Pat Boone singing Little Richard’s songs are almost too ridiculous to believe they are real. But his coined line, “shut up,” was accepted and cherished, and he knew being flamboyant was here to stay, which the film honors on many levels. He had his influencers, which inspired his look and music, and he had his drug addictions. Yet, he was different from any other artist in the rise of rock ‘n’ roll music as a genre and acceptance of all people and their sexuality, which the film covers in great length, including interviews with Billy Porter, among others.

However, Little Richard suffered from a very real sense of unappreciated leadership, which eventually was addressed by receiving a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as an architect for rock ‘n’ roll, finally getting what he deserved. Cortés’s devotion to creating a film in honor and respect of Little Richard is also one of achievement and understanding for those who have been marginalized for being who they are. Although there are times when the glitter effects are a bit over the top, her inclusion of a new generation of artists who look to Little Richard as part of their work was much appreciated, especially for connecting the past, present, and future.

Little Richard: I Am Everything screened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.



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