In Barbara Kopple’s intimate documentary “Miss Sharon Jones!”
we see an artist simultaneously at the top of her game and the lowest point of
her life. Chronicling singer Sharon Jones’s experiences over the year following
her 2013 diagnosis with stage 2 pancreatic cancer, the film is ultimately an
uplifting testament to one woman’s resilience and strength.
The film opens with a brief overview of Jones’s career, how
she struggled for many years fronting a wedding band and working as a
corrections officer, fighting to prove wrong the music executives who, despite
her talent, continually told her she was “too black, too short, too fat.” Never one to back down, the singer eventually
found success with her retro-soul band, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings. Though
not a household name, the group has spent the past decade building up a
following of passionate fans, along with critical and low-key commercial
success.
Aside from her own internal battle against the disease, when
Jones takes the necessary time off for recovery, she feels pressure from the
band, backup singers, and managers whose livelihoods depend on her being able
to perform. Throughout the film, Kopple explores that tension; one of the best
aspects of the film is the way it demonstrates not only how the disease impacts
Jones herself but every person around her.
Any documentary with such a narrow focus is only as good as
its subject, and Kopple could hardly do better than Jones: the singer is such a
magnetic, charismatic presence that we’d follow her anywhere. From her
endearing excitement over appearing on “Ellen” (her favorite daytime talk show)
to bringing the house down on stage, Sharon Jones is a firecracker.
That makes seeing Jones laid low even harder to take.
Spending her days recuperating at the country home of a close friend, one can
sense the singer growing restless. Contrasted with scenes of Jones busting
loose on stage (she’s frequently described as “the female James Brown”), we can
see how taking time off away from music is eating away at her. Getting back on
the road is a long and arduous path, and though the physical toll of
chemotherapy is plain to see, she refuses to let cancer hold her back. Even in
her weakened state, she’s a force of nature, and the strength she demonstrates
throughout the film is genuinely inspiring.
While it’s undeniably emotional, Kopple’s film never works to
wring tears from its audience, but always follows the example set by Jones’s
endlessly positive energy. It helps that the film is loaded with fantastic
music; it’s damn near impossible to not bop along with Jones and The Dap Kings
during the film’s many infectious musical performances. As tribute to a
supremely talented singer and an empathetic portrait of fortitude and
perseverance, “Miss Sharon Jones!” is sure to earn the group a whole new legion
of fans.
Due to an error, we had to postpone a review of “Little Men.”
Check back next week for that.
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2016.
