Make It Funky (2005)

93% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(281 ratings)

It's hard to overestimate the importance of the city of New Orleans in the history of American popular music; New Orleans was where jazz first took root, and the city's rich gumbo of musical influences (African, Caribbean, and French accents mingling with jazz, blues, gospel, and pop structures)… More It's hard to overestimate the importance of the city of New Orleans in the history of American popular music; New Orleans was where jazz first took root, and the city's rich gumbo of musical influences (African, Caribbean, and French accents mingling with jazz, blues, gospel, and pop structures) helped to steep the creative melting pot that allowed rhythm and blues and rock & roll to grow. There's nothing like the sound of New Orleans jazz, funk, and R&B, and filmmaker Michael Murphy offers living proof in his documentary Make it Funky!, which examines the Crescent City's vibrant musical history while showing some of the city's greatest musicians on stage. Make it Funky! includes concert performances by Allen Toussaint, The Neville Brothers, Lloyd Price, The Meters, Snooks Eaglin, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, and many more. Bonnie Raitt and Keith Richards also make guest appearances and talk about how the New Orleans sound impacted their own music. Make it Funky! went into release in the fall of 2005, just as Hurricane Katrina was devastating New Orleans, making its portrait of the city all the more poignant. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Michael Murphy
Genres: Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest

In Theaters: Sep 27, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Sep 27, 2005

Critic Reviews

Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle
The brilliant colors, the vibrant flavors and sultry, seductive rhythms of New Orleans music serve to remind us how unique, beautiful and valuable the city and its heritage are to all of us in this country.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
Michael Murphy's documentary about the musical traditions of New Orleans can serve as an apt, wrenching elegy for the city's unique contribution to American culture.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
A suddenly vital biography, Make It Funky, pays apt homage to the unique gifts New Orleans has given its country over the last century. Watching it ought to inspire anyone to return the favor.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
The musicians swear this is dance music, but the beats are far too ponderous to get a rise out of the hip-hop generation.
Eddie Cockrell, Variety
A big, easy overview of New Orleans' rich musical heritage.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
There's not a second in this film that isn't a reminder that New Orleans in its architecture, cuisine and multicultural diversity as well as in its music is a unique and major American center of culture.
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
The sort of documentary that informs and educates through sheer passion, excitement, and, yes, downright funkiness.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Lively tribute to New Orleans' musical traditions takes on an added poignancy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Watch this DVD and you'll be all but convinced that this is a city that will bounce back-with plenty of funky style.
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
Watching it now, with the devastation behind us, is a bittersweet affair.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
It doesn't quite capture the essence of the city, a trick to which it desperately aspires throughout, but it comes close, shedding light on one of the few locales that can legitimately be called an American cultural touchstone.
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly
Make It Funky! is in many respects a stock item, but what gives the film newfound ache is the copious amount of time it spends on the streets with ordinary citizens.
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
...a pretty good, aesthetically modest film [that has] suddenly become deeply affecting in ways its makers could never have predicted.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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