Audience Member
- Who'd win a soul sister sing off? Mavis! -
By the end of this film my arm was numb because it had been in a "praise Jesus" position for about 80 minutes.
I initially went into this film thinking that I didn't know any songs by The Staple Singers. But then, "I'll Take You There" began to play and I thought, Ohhhh I know you my old familiar friend.
Mavis! follows the history of legendary gospel singer Mavis Staples and her family. As children in the late 1940s, Mavis, her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, Pervis and her Pops, all formed a singing group called The Staple Singers.
Yes, her brother's name is Pervis, I may have giggled just a little too much at that.
As you can guess from the title, the film focuses mainly on Mavis as she continues to sing well into her late 70s. It's layered with themes of family, gospel, church, the African American community and the love of music-all types of music.
Mavis and her sister Yvonne, are the only surviving members of the group. Yvonne often joins Mavis on tours to this day and you can feel the deep history and respect between them. One incredibly touching moment happens in the film when the two sisters look through their family photo album remembering their father. Mavis credited her sister for helping her survive after their father's death. They share a look that lingers between the two of them. It was a look of "I got you" and it was lovely.
The Staple Singers were witness to great change in American culture and the music scene. During the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1950s and early 1960s, The Staple Singers stood up to the injustice and mistreatment of African Americans. Pops was the most vocal of the group and became notorious in the music industry for having walked hand in hand with Martin Luther King during peaceful protests. Their activism during this time of social angst will remain a huge part of their legacy.
This movie reminded me of 20 Feet from Stardom, which focuses on singers that were shadowed by some of the most successful musical acts in history. It seems that The Staple Singers were similar. They were vocally unique but never made the BIG time. I suppose that there's a place for everything and everyone. The Staple Singers seem content with where they are in history.
These days, Mavis may need a cane to help her walk, but nothing, not even age, can touch her visceral, deep, angelic voice. As one music producer in the film says, "I love Aretha Franklin, but she ain't got nothing on Mavis." Aretha Franklin is known all over the world as the queen of soul and yet Mavis can beat her in a soul sister sing-off.
As I watched Mavis perform on stage, I could imagine it was like going to church. There was something quite holy about the entire experience. Mavis engages with the crowd as if she were a preacher and the audience her loyal followers. In her deep gravelly voice she shouts "now we have come this evening to bring you some joy, some happiness, inspiration and some positive vibrations". I'm not a religious person, but if I witnessed Mavis preaching, I'd imagine it'd be hard not to join her following.
Mavis! made me want to sing at the top of my lungs even if I have the voice of a dying cat. It captured me from the very beginning. There was not phone or nail file in sight. I was completely absorbed and held tight until the credits rolled.
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This review was first published on Narrative Muse, http://www.narrativemuse.co/movies/mavis, and was written Jules Raynes. Narrative Muse curates the best books and movies by and about women and non-binary folk on our website http://narrativemuse.co and our social media channels.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
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Audience Member
Featuring a lifetime of music!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Inspiring and uplifting story of an American Great
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Great execution of this extraordinary documentary of an extraordinary entertainer!!! I was enthralled in every scene of this presentation!!!!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
12/22/17
Full Review
Audience Member
There's a moment near the end of "Mavis!," an excellent music documentary, that is particularly moving. The film's subject, matchless soul singer Mavis Staples, is sitting with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, loved ones intermingling in the background. Staples, seventy-five and as vibrant as ever, is about to hear something she's been clamoring to for years - her late father's first LP, never released as its production coincided with his passing. Staples's friendship with Tweedy, who brought on her career renaissance by producing her acclaimed 2010 album "You Are Not Alone," has delivered nothing but artistic success. As a gift to one of his idols (their relationship is close enough for Staples to consider Tweedy's son to be her grandchild), he has doctored the remnants of Pops Staples's final work. The result brings her to tears. "I miss him so much," she sighs between a rough mixture of sobs and smiles.
This scene alone epitomizes the persona of Mavis Staples, an R&B talent who easily could have gone off the rails during her sixty-year career, but instead remained, and still remains, a humble legend kept together by strong familial ties (she preferred to work with her family band, The Staples Singers, than perform solo) and a genuine respect for her peers. She had a relationship with Bob Dylan in her youth. One of her closest friends is Bonnie Raitt. In the late 1980s, Prince sought her out just so he could produce music with her. But Staples never lets the fact that she's a cult legend, a gospel icon, get to her head - she's a woman doing what she loves, and, during "Mavis!," she never seems to be anyone other than a kindly everywoman appreciative of what her life has had to offer her. So many stars let past prosperities or waning cultural relevance harm their present existence. Staples couldn't care less; she wants to sing, and retiring, despite being a doable possibility, sounds hellacious.
And we adore her for it. "Mavis!" is the riveting documentary that it is because we're both interested in Staples the Singer and Staples the Person. Stories from her past abound and dazzle us, but terrific too is watching her interact with those closest to her - a mutual love is there and palpable. The more we get to know Staples in quieter moments, the aforementioned sequence with Tweedy a fitting example, the better the documentary becomes, its examinations of her personal life coated with affectionate humility.
"Mavis!" premiered on HBO and is directed by Jessica Edwards, and we only want to thank them for allowing for us to get to know this musical wonder woman on a deeper level than what a thorough Wikipedia page might otherwise provide. Compendious and all around irresistible (the musical sequence are extraneously heart-stopping), it's the upbeat counterpart to the downers of last year's "Amy" and "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck." We might as well cherish a subject more happy-go-lucky than destructive, anyway.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
greg r
As good as it gets. A documentary about the heart of the gospel and African American freedom movement.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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