His sexuality and the color of his skin made it easy for people to underestimate Little Richard throughout his career, but those two aspects of his life mattered a great deal.

This documentary is a good attempt to show us why he was one of the greatest rock artists and it makes one marvel at how he found success in those days with a style and songs that were genuinely provocative and daring. We learn how his queerness influenced many others, including John Waters who styled his mustache like Little Richard, a life-long tribute of sorts.

It’s also a film that has us pondering the complexity and contradictions of Little Richard’s sexuality and choices, making this larger-than-life icon seem as human as the rest of us.

2023-U.S. 98 min. Color-B/W. Directed by Lisa Cortes. 

Trivia: Co-executive produced by Dee Rees. Billy Porter, Tom Jones and Mick Jagger are among those interviewed.

Last word: “It was important for me to center Richard’s voice in the storytelling. The celebrities and pundits all had to have an intimate connection to Richard, and to serve as a sounding board for some of the outlandish things he would say. It’s important to not let some untruths go without being checked, because we have to be careful with what we’re presenting as facts, and Richard was not always truthful.” (Cortes, RogerEbert.com)