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Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

Play trailer Poster for Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown 2014 1h 55m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Rare footage, interviews and photographs chronicle the ascension of James Brown in the music industry.

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Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

Critics Reviews

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Eric Deggans NPR 11/27/2019
Mr. Dynamite is a fitting reminder of the singer's power and influence; the story of an artist whose rise mirrored the journey of black America from segregation to success. Go to Full Review
Joshua Alston AV Club 10/27/2014
A-
Alex Gibney's Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown is an assured threading-of-the-needle, slowly working its way to the sweet spot where the man and the legend overlap. Go to Full Review
Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com 10/27/2014
There's so much to the Brown story that focus becomes an issue in a film like Alex Gibney's "Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown." How do you capture the hardest working man in show business in just two hours? Go to Full Review
Benjamin H. Smith Decider 12/20/2017
While the 2014 documentary Mr. Dynamite: the Rise Of James Brown claims to explore Brown's beginnings in its title, it actually goes much further. Go to Full Review
Melissa Camacho Common Sense Media 11/03/2014
3/5
His fans will also get a kick out watching him sing, dance, and showboat as only he knew how to do. But if you don't care for the singer or his music, chances are that you'll lose interest in it before it's over. Go to Full Review
Roger Catlin rogercatlin.com 10/27/2014
There's a lot see here, including the birth of funk and some candor from the band. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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10/01/2019 Just saw this wonderful documentary on Netflix. HURRY! It expires tomorrow. Wonderful and full of memories. Have only a vague memory of the place I saw him in Broward County, FL and no idea who I was with, but I can see him singing and dancing and LOVED the show.Just saw this wonderful documentary on Netflix. HURRY! It expires tomorrow. Wonderful and full of memories. Have only a vague memory of the place I saw him in Broward County, FL and no idea who I was with, but I can see him singing and dancing and LOVED the show. See more 03/26/2019 Otro gran biopic de Gibney. La historia de James Brown es increible y esta muy bien narrada a traves de la mirada del director. Yo sabia de la importancia de Mr. Brown en la historia de EUA pero creo que nos sabia ni la mitad de su gran influencia. Además de tantas cosas buenas el documental tambien muestra algunas de las cosas malas que tenia. De aquellas cosas que hay que ver... See more 10/15/2017 An outstanding documentary on the "Godfather of Soul (and all the other names he made up for himself)." This is not a film where all the interviewees bend and pucker to JB's backside, and reminisce on how the celebrity is the best thing since the pop-top canned beer can. "Mr. Dynamite" is about a very driven, egotistical man, an unabashed self-promoter, a perfectionist, a control freak, a deadbeat (sometimes his band was not paid for either both live performances and studio sessions), someone who didn't' appreciate (but took credit for) the influence his musicians had on the music, and was a committer of domestic violence. But he man instinctively understood how to play to an audience of any race color or creed. James Brown spent his formative years in poverty. His mother left the family when he was four years old. His father left when he was six. He took refuge with an aunt, who operated a whorehouse. He sang and danced in front of the whorehouse for nickels and dimes, which people passing by would throw on the ground. He was caught stealing and sentenced eight years. The formative years can stay with a person, and he is described later in life as "lonely." He didn't trust anybody. If your mother abandons a child at four, and a father abandoned a child at six, the child might inherently not trust anyone. The documentary also gives credit to his positive activity in the civil rights movement. On this subject, JB and others failed. What' the latest death rate by shooting in Chicago? But he tried his damnist, as he always did. JB championed picking yourself up by your bootstraps ("I don't want nobody to give me nothing/open up the door/I'll get it myself") rather than government handouts. Despite his personal demons and other mental frailties - The man was a genius. A true original. See more 07/24/2016 Whoa-great documentary! See more 09/30/2015 Brilliant documentary on an entertainment genius. The story of James Brown, singer, songwriter and showman extraordinaire. From his life growing up in abject poverty, to his rise to fame and his influence on music. Wonderfully made. Contains some rare footage of James Brown concerts and you can feel the dynamism of his performance and sheer exuberance of the show. Could there ever have been someone with a greater stage presence? Some quite illuminating interviews from people who he worked with - former band members mostly - and people he influenced. Not your usual empty, fawning interviews but genuine, candid, well thought-out, insightful interviews with people who know what they are talking about. Not just about the music. Shows his work for the civil rights movement and in the black community. Demonstrates well the high regard to which he was held in those groups. Fantastic. See more 08/01/2015 This is a really great doc about the early life and rise to fame of James Brown. An interesting look into his career and how he "lived the gimmick" and micro - manage a lot of aspects of his career. See more Read all reviews
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

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Movie Info

Synopsis Rare footage, interviews and photographs chronicle the ascension of James Brown in the music industry.
Director
Alex Gibney
Production Co
Jagged Films, Jigsaw Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 55m
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