[yasr_overall_rating]
“Miss Sharon Jones!” follows the talented and gregarious soul singer of the Grammy nominated R&B band “Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.”
Barbara Kopple knows a thing or two about brave, intrepid musicians. She helmed the award-winning doc “Shut Up & Sing” about Natalie Maines, member of the country band The Dixie Chicks, who took a stand against George Bush in 2013. Now Miss Kopple gives us another look at a magnificent performer, Sharon Jones, who took a stand against her own Stage 2 pancreatic cancer in the years 2013-2014. And though I generally have an issue with fictional cancer dramas (see my review of the atrocious “Honeyglue” here), a powerful documentary that examines a real-life struggle of a performer, who has inspired generations of fans, is an entire different ball game. “Miss Sharon Jones!,” a delightfully entertaining and poignant treat, earns the exclamation point of its title: Kopple’s doc is by turns heartbreaking, insightful and ultimately inspirational, without a shred of sentimentality. Its joy is infectious.
Combining elements of funk, R’n’B, soul – and wrapping it all in a fuzzy throwback blanket of 1950s doo-wop, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings barely ever graced the pop charts, nor was tabloid popularity their goal. A “female James Brown,” Sharon has won over thousands of devotees all over the world with her relentless energy, extraordinary vocal range and the uniqueness of her band’s genre-blending.
Struck with the horrific news of the disease, Sharon held her head high. Her friend, Megan Holken, a Holistic Nutritionist, invited Sharon to stay with her during the seven-month recovery. As Sharon faces a struggle against near-impossible odds, watching countless talk shows and eager to get back to work, the documentary smoothly introduces us to her past, her band members, how they formed and consequently perfected their sound. But Kopple wisely keeps the focus on Jones and the music, never straying too far into the murky depths of an archive-overloaded, visual Wikipedia.
The film contains plenty of moments that will make you smile and cry – or both, at once. Sharon’s deep friendship with her manager Alex is palpable. A touching scene sees Sharon fishing while recollecting moments from her past. The singer belting out “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” at Megan’s wedding in an all-too-brief VHS glimpse showcases why she’s a natural-born genius. A memorable moment involves Sharon watching the video to her song “Retreat,” a parable for beating cancer. Miss Jones singing at a church while reconnecting with God, bringing herself to a near-ecstatic frenzy, is a sight to behold. The band practicing with a post-chemotherapy Sharon, who is on top of her game – and the band’s conversation after she leaves – resonates deeply, as does Sharon’s excitement at the news of being on Ellen (and the dancing with the talk show host after). We also get to see a wilder side of Sharon, briefly flipping out over Thanksgiving dinner plans. And, of course, there is the incredible comeback, Sharon hesitant to return, but not succumbing to weakness.
Kopple’s glimpse inside the life of a living legend is stuffed to the brim with fascinating facts. Being told that she was “too dark, too short” to be a star in the 1980s, Sharon Jones played in a wedding band. She had a stint as a corrections officer (badass!), never took any vocal lessons, and her trumpet player left the band to perform with The Roots on the Jimmy Fallon show. And of course, there’s the spine-tingling, get-up-off-your-seat music, joyful and inspiring, influencing everyone from Beck to Amy Winehouse to LCD Soundsystem. if you don’t enjoy this sort of thing, there’s no talking to you.
Sharon herself is a goddess: brimming with humor, goodwill, honesty, striking intelligence and resilience, channeling her sorrow into creative things like painting (she’s a pro, by the way) and exorcizing her demons through music. Just watch her try on wigs early on in the film: “I should go for the Oprah look,” she comments dryly. “I gotta sing,” she tells her doctor later. “I can’t be sitting here… Hell, I’ll go bald! Put some make up on, I’ll look cute!” At another point, she exclaims, “I don’t want to be like Whoopi Goldberg with no eyebrows.”
The film never focuses solely on cancer, nor does it wallow in sentiment; its focus instead is on the joys of life, its every precious moment, as personified in its titular heroine. Kopple’s film may not side-step some of the pratfalls of a doc biopic – there are some dry patches, its structure is a tad too predictable – but there’s no denying its verisimilitude and power. I’m a vinyl collector who happens to spend way too much money on those beautiful shiny discs. Hell, there goes another $20 for “Give The People What They Want,” an appropriately-named Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings classic. I suggest you do the same. It’s money well-spent.
“Miss Sharon Jones!” opens in New York July 29th and will expand nationwide in August
