Synopsis
A documentary about the singer featuring the Live In Central Park concert that was plagued by thunderstorms.
Review
This was not what I was expecting, let's get that straight out into the open. I was expecting a documentary about Diana Ross with bits of the concert thrown in, what I got was something much more disappointing.
Having looked at the Diana Ross Live In Central Park "movie" from 1983 I'm now even more disappointed. It appears that what I saw in the cinema is no more than bits of this movie with minor additions of comments from her daughters and a cameo by the Obamas.
Let's take everything that isn't the concert for a moment. It all seemed horrendously scripted, yes I know it would have been scripted, but the way they were performing for the camera felt more like an instructional video than a documentary. In fact, it reminds me of one of those cheesy in-flight safety briefings.
Those segments are green screened with videos of the singer playing in the background, and with the cheesy performances the artificial effect from the green screen just makes it all a little naff. There are also some chatty bits from where the family are together although it is only Tracee Ellis Ross that really speaks. She talks with passion about her mother performing and I held out hope for something more... but that didn't happen. At no point did we pan out to Diana Ross, who Tracee appears to be talking to, or engage in a whole family discussion. It felt odd.
That Obama cameo I mentioned had felt out of place too, there was a reference that seemed dated to me and when I looked it up I discovered that it was a clipping from their AMA tribute from 2017.
Despite the ropey start I was looking forward to the concert pieces, Diana Ross is a wonderful singer after all.
*sigh*
The concert portion was interspersed with crowd shots and news footage, and crowd shots and news footage. Before you think I've lost my mind please note that I'm merely paying tribute to the film's love of repetition. Bits weren't even cut in different ways, the exact same clips were used which just felt lazy.
I can't believe that in a time where people will remaster anything that no one considered doing it with any of this footage. The quality got progressively worse to a point where it was so bad that they might as well have recreated the concert in 8-bit footage.
At least the concert footage has some merit, we get to hear her singing and it was interesting to hear her compassion and love for the audience.
I'm sure that this sort of concert would not happen today. Health and safety would be throwing a fit that the stage had no supports, it honestly looked like she was standing on a diving board, and that anyone would consider continuing an outdoor concert in a storm. It's actually sad to watch the footage, all those different people there for the concert, children and adults, all having the time of their lives... and I just can't imagine that same sight now. Postpone a concert today and all you would hear is the crowd cursing everything and everyone they could.
Diana Ross' enthusiasm on stage did bring me joy. You can't help but smile at her dancing and her genuine care for the crowd. That's where my smiling stopped. Overall this is a very poor creation and felt like someone had thought "oh, there's an anniversary coming up, we should do something" but hadn't left themselves with enough time to create something new. There were some very easy steps that could have been taken to elevate this content. They could have had actual conversations rather than a lot of speeches, and how about something as simple as more footage of Diana Ross outside of the concert?
This isn't a tribute, it's a travesty.
What you should do
Go and listen to an album, maybe try and find some videos on YouTube, either option will give you a better experience.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
At one point she has on a yellow onesie (of sorts) with a yellow and red built-in cape/blanket thing... this looks amazing and I want one.
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