User Reviews

This neat little doc charting the growth an explosion of the funk music genre in the US across the seventies has some fantastic footage in it but misses some key parts in the story (James Brown gets most of the credit with no sign of New Orleans). There are separate chunks covering most of the key parts and they even delve into cinema and other parts of pop culture. A goodly amount is dedicated to the majestic P-Funk but without Bootsy himself it feels a little slim. Like most of these docs it falls down when trying to press into the modern day - here they claim Robin Thicke of all people were carrying the torch in 2014, and not folk like Janelle Monae or Daptone records. Oh well - there's still a good chunk of funk in here, it's just not the whole story!

Strutting its way out of the black ghettos in turbulent 1960s America, Funk became one of the greatest and most influential sounds in music history. With chunky, catchy, danceable rhythms and beats the music served as the soundtrack to social change and to let loose on the dance floor. "The Story of Funk: One Nation Under a Groove" is one of the ace documentaries chronicling this most appealing of music highlighting its origins and its rise and fall and permanent influence in music. Featuring its genesis with James Brown's and Sly & The Family Stone's brilliant and groundbreaking innovations the film moves on to the numerous stars who brought the sound and style of the music to the mainstream during the 1970s. Parliament-Funkadelic, Average White Band, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang and others are highlighted showcasing the artists' talents and the quality of the music. The interviews shine as the major players involved give their personable and articulate views in an informative and compelling manner showing how much the music meant to so much people. Funk also went beyond music influencing other artistic fields like film particularly with the famed and controversial Blaxploitation genre. Moving along at a fast and lively pace just like the music itself, this is a fittingly well done documentary on a style and sound that defined an age and whose musical DNA has been a crucial and enhancing part of Popular Music since. "Tear the roof off that sucker"!