Luther: Never Too Much

I have been a fan of Luther Vandross for over 30 years. Own all his 13 albums including his Christmas album making a total of 14. When I learned that a new documentary will be made on his life, I could not wait to see it. Now that the opportunity has arrived, I would like to say that I have now received my chance to see it. I must say that I came out of it enlightened.

For a while, I have been wanting to see a full documentary on Luther Vandross. Aside from the Journeys in Black mini-documentary hosted by BET, there have been no documentaries on the life of Luther until this day. I would like to send my kudos to the director Dawn Porter for providing us a documentary long overdue.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Luther Vandross is a musician that isn't talked much amongst people and Vandross has an interesting history with music, identity and his career. While this documentary does have it's faults on some pacing and structure, the documentary has a good heart that explores Luther's music career, personal life, sexual orientation, and experiences with strong direction, good sense of emotions, and a good heart to the core.

There are many interesting aspects about Luther's life and career that were well-explored throughout the movie and it was interesting to learn about aspects I wasn't familiar with. Revolving around his music, sexual identity and some of the issues he has faced, it was a good documentary about a talented musician who wasn't as well-known to the public, yet has an interesting background.

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!

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.

I am a filmmaker and a student of film, aside from the story being crafted well, it was what any Luther fan could ask for. I have been a fan of his work for as long as I can remember and to see him being honored this way was beautiful. It was a rollercoaster of emotions from glee to sorrow, beginning to end. There were so many great takeaways from the film; one of the biggest was hearing so much of the story told by him. You could feel the love he had for others and the joy he brought radiating through the screen. I cannot wait for the chance to purchase this film, I hope it's available to view again soon.