Little Richard: I Am Everything

AroView: A fabulous documentary that gives long-overdue credit to the man who blazed the trail for rock ‘n’ roll sound and showmanship when he burst onto the scene in 1955 with “Tutti Frutti”.

The doco proudly stands by his own proclamation that he influenced everyone (from Elvis and The Beatles on down) though was troubled for decades by the appropriation and indifference of the music biz. The film is much more proud than he could sometimes be as a symbol of blackness and gayness, and so feels like a cultural history lesson for our times.

“A long-overdue creation corrective that gives an outwardly revolutionary cultural icon his trailblazing due at the same time it grapples with the conflicted soul that rarely knew a lasting inner peace.” ~Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

“Cortés’s devotion to creating a film in honor and respect of Little Richard is also one of achievement and understanding for those who have been marginalized for being who they are.” ~Sabina Dana Plasse, Film Threat