Am I Black Enough For You? (2009)
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60% of critics liked it
(15 reviews) -
0% want to see it
(4 ratings)
The story of the singer who soared into the stratosphere with his breakout single "Me and Mrs. Jones", then plummeted back to Earth when his funky follow-up "Am I Black Enough for You?" proved dead on arrival. Billy Paul was a Philadelphia soul artist who could have easily been… More The story of the singer who soared into the stratosphere with his breakout single "Me and Mrs. Jones", then plummeted back to Earth when his funky follow-up "Am I Black Enough for You?" proved dead on arrival. Billy Paul was a Philadelphia soul artist who could have easily been as big as Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield, but the radical lyrics of his sophomore single proved too polarizing for white America of the 1970s. In the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, amity and personal gain frequently took a backseat to political assertion, especially for African-Americans. Billy Paul had enjoyed international success with the soulful, almost soothing "Me and Mrs. Jones", and record executive Kenny Gamble was banking on the fact that America was prepared for the empowering message contained in "Am I Black Enough for You?" Not only did that gamble fail to pay off, but effectively crippled Paul's burgeoning career as well. In this documentary, filmmaker Goran Olsson explores how the singer's loving relationship with his longtime wife Blanche gave him the courage to endure even in the darkest of times, and offers an informative look the origins of soul music in the American Civil Rights Movement. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Goran Olsson
- Genres
- Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
Unrated,
Critic Reviews
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Slightly woolly overall, though you might find yourself buying the CDs. I did.
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Derek Malcolm, This is London
There's not enough about the conflicts between Paul and those who controlled his records but this is a fan-like yet not too oleaginous tribute.
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Sam Jordison, Film4
A touching story, relatively well told with the bonus of a fine backing track and eloquent interview subjects.
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Wendy Ide, Times [UK]
It all boils down to a complete lack of focus on the part of the film-makers. Not only do they fail to get their questions answered, they also run out of material so disastrously.
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Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Philadelphia's soul legend Billy Paul takes centre stage in this intriguing documentary, which teases out the nuances of his complex and often painful career.
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