by MATTHEW HAYS

It’s a love letter that’s clearly long, long overdue. Based on the book of the same name, Standing in the Shadows of Motown is the passionate, elegiac tribute to the Funk Brothers, a group of musicians who played background music on two-thirds of the hits to come out of Motown’s Detroit era.

In a sad streak running throughout the film, it seems the Funk Brothers never really got the respect (nor the royalties, for that matter) they were due. But this is primarily a film that sets out, like Buena Vista Social Club did two years ago, to celebrate these men (Joe Hunter, Jack Ashford, Uriel Jones, Eddie Willis, Bob Babbitt and James Jamerson among them) and their incredible musical achievements.

Director Paul Justman (using Allan Slutsky’s book as a blueprint) takes us back—via talking-head interviews, file footage and re-enactments—to the very beginnings of Motown, when the label paid virtually nothing and people worked out of basement studios. Many of the anecdotes—including musicians insisting on changing into their pajamas to sleep during long car rides—are hilarious, in large part because of the agile raconteurs themselves. This is a vital bit of oral history, as well as a damn good time.

Sensibly, Justman never forgets why we’re here—the music is given centrestage, with the Funk Brothers backing up contemporary singers (including Ben Harper, Joan Osborne and Chaka Khan) in fantastic renditions of some of the greats the Funk Brothers helped to create and make famous.

Like a good music documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown will make you want to rush home and drag out all your old vinyl again. And like a good documentary, it unearths a crucial bit of history, one that uncovers many of the real stories behind the most famous one. This movie is no small feat—rousing musical and history lesson rolled into one. :

Standing in the Shadows of Motown opens Friday, Nov. 22

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