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Luther: Never Too Much

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8.7/10 • 6

2024-11-011h 41m

DocumentaryMusic

A voice like no other.

Luther Vandross started his career supporting David Bowie, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, and more. His undeniable talent earned platinum records and accolades, but he struggled to break out beyond the R&B charts. Intensely driven, he overcame personal and professional challenges to secure his place amongst the greatest vocalists in history.

Directors
Dawn Porter
Editors
Mark Fason

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Luther Vandross

    Luther Vandross

    Self (archive footage)

  2. Mariah Carey

    Mariah Carey

    Self

  3. Jamie Foxx

    Jamie Foxx

    Self

  4. Dionne Warwick

    Dionne Warwick

    Self

  5. Valerie Simpson

    Valerie Simpson

    Self

  6. David Bowie

    David Bowie

    Self (archive footage)

  7. Johnny Carson

    Johnny Carson

    Self (archive footage)

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Feb 2, 2025

7/10

Using a wide array of archive and some fairly honest and potent interviews, this documentary presents us with a short biopic of rather an enigmatic gent. Initially, his dulcet tones earned him a decent enough living doing lucrative commercials and providing backing vocals until a session with David Bowie started his career on a largely unhindered upwards trajectory. His associations with Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler and Roberta Flack, his total - almost perfectionist - commitment to his art and his cheeky sense of humour all contributed further to a success that transcended not just US racial boundaries, but also physical international ones too. I wasn't really that aware of his music, but watching this does effectively illustrate just how many songs he was behind - writing and/or performing, that are more familiar than I'd expected. This also wasn't a messy man. He wasn't in and out of the papers with stories of his life, his lifestyle, his drinking or drug taking - he actually comes across as a remarkably stable man in many ways, even if his solution to problems he faced was to reach for the fried chicken bucket or the ice cream spoon. Happily, we don't really focus too much on the personal life. Perhaps because his own comments of "mind your own business" are echoed by the film's contributors who knew him and who chose not to add fuel to any fires burning about his sexuality. It's a celebration of his music that broadens awareness for folk like me who didn't realise the scope of his skills, and it is a fitting and spangly tribute for those who did.

Media

  • Luther: Never Too Much backdrop
  • Luther: Never Too Much backdrop

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
music documentary