Luther: Never Too Much

My background is in production, plus as a University Archival Reference Librarian, I have high standards for documentaries. The research team on this film did a fantastic job showcasing Luther Vandross in Luther: Never Too Much (2024). The director did a linear timeline of Luther Vandross and Sony assisted in providing outstanding sound quality of the music videos and live concert performances. I felt everyone in the audience had a favorite Luther Vandross song, and at the time in the 1980's and 1990's a lot of interviews just cared about "Who are you dating?" and questions regarding his weight. When Luther was so much more. He was a vessel who helped others find love through his music. Love the interviews with Jamie Foxx on how much Luther Vandross's music helped him to win over the ladies, how Mariah Carey felt singing with Luther Vandross. And even how Dionne Warwick was blown away at a remake of one of her songs sung by Luther. I even learned about some songs I never knew about before. I can not wait for the world to see this movie. Luther truly had a gift of singing and struggled so much to not just be labeled on black radio stations, but on popular radio stations as well. It's a film where you will learn, laugh, and tear up with emotion if you listen to the words of this perfectionist's lyrics. I hope it's distributed soon!

I only knew Luther Vandross from his many old great hit songs on the radio back in the days, so I am not a diehard fan, but this documentary gave me so many goosebumps and such a good feeling! Really touched by it (and surprised by it as well...)

What's most surprising to me was the fact that before he got known as a singer he wrote so many songs for other famous singers who all cherished his songwriting skills AND his background singing performances, like Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and David Bowie.

Famous actor Jamie Fox describes several witty memories of him stealing girls' hearts with playing Luther Vandross songs while courting them, making all the girls melt in his arms!

Singers all have their peak and then they mostly fade away from the spotlights, but I never knew what happened to Luther Vandross and this movies story about his downfall is so touching, yet still so sad that I dont wanna tell about it here in this review.

I can highly recommend watching this doumentary if you have doubts about being it worth the watch ESPECIALLY if you are not a big fan of his work!

What a voice! What a sweet soul! What a tragedy!

It's been nearly two decades since Luther Vandross' early death at 54, but this overdue 2025 documentary from Dawn Porter is most welcome at this moment because it places clear focus on both the successes and struggles of the great crooner and songwriter. Porter covers the full spectrum of his career from his appearances on the first season of "Sesame Street" as part of the vocal group, Listen My Brother, all the way to his last and most personal chart hit, "Dance With My Father". In the three-plus decades in between, his mellifluous tenor was heard consistently on a series of hit recordings at the same time he worked as producer, songwriter, and collaborator with the most legendary divas. Drastic weight fluctuations, diabetes, and his closeted private life also get attention but not excessively so. Incorporating interviews with colleagues and confidants, this is a well-paced and researched chronology of a genuine talent frequently underrated but not forgotten.

Had a chance to see this at the Freep Film Festival in Detroit! It was so great! Of course the music was on another level like Mr. Vandross! I learned some more about him. Especially the fact that he went to school at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He didn't like and left. My daughter said see I told you! She goes to WMU. It had laughter, the audience loved it, because you felt like you were at a family reunion.

He is missed! I saw him when I was 17 years old in Indy. It was him Cheryl Linn, Ashford and Simpson and Ready for the World! They all put on a great show! I am glad I did!

Using a wide array of archive and some fairly honest and potent interviews, this documentary presents us with a short biopic of rather an enigmatic gent. Initially, his dulcet tones earned him a decent enough living doing lucrative commercials and providing backing vocals until a session with David Bowie started his career on a largely unhindered upwards trajectory. His associations with Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler and Roberta Flack, his total - almost perfectionist - commitment to his art and his cheeky sense of humour all contributed further to a success that transcended not just US racial boundaries, but also physical international ones too. I wasn't really that aware of his music, but watching this does effectively illustrate just how many songs he was behind - writing and/or performing, that are more familiar than I'd expected. This also wasn't a messy man. He wasn't in and out of the papers with stories of his life, his lifestyle, his drinking or drug taking - he actually comes across as a remarkably stable man in many ways, even if his solution to problems he faced was to reach for the fried chicken bucket or the ice cream spoon. Happily, we don't really focus too much on the personal life. Perhaps because his own comments of "mind your own **** business" are echoed by the film's contributors who knew him and who chose not to add fuel to any fires burning about his sexuality. It's a celebration of his music that broadens awareness for folk like me who didn't realise the scope of his skills, and it is a fitting and spangly tribute for those who did.