2024 Movie
Dir. Bao Nguyen · United Kingdom, United States of America · English
A nostalgic, behind-the-scenes look into the classic 80’s supergroup single
We Are the World is a charity single created for African famine relief. It was a smash success– it inspired plenty of other charity singles and already has a TV documentary about it. But The Greatest Night in Pop reveals new behind-the-scenes footage with a home video flair, intercut with interviews from those who were in the booth on that fateful day. The anecdotes about that night might have already been said elsewhere, but director Bao Nguyen manages to capture the energy in the room, peeking into the emotions of the various personalities that helped shape the song. It’s an intriguing, if straightforward documentary, and it’s certainly a treat watching the decade’s best voices collaborate to make this one track.
On a January night in 1985, music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.
"One can’t help but enjoy the spectacle of all these stars, who were like gods at the time, standing around getting to know each other like awkward kids at a school social."
— Bilge Ebiri
"Music bio-docs may be running out of steam, but “The Greatest Night in Pop” works by being specific and enlightening."
— Brian Tallerico
On January 25, 1985, some of America’s biggest music stars met to record a song for charity, altering global pop culture history.
The story material. The documentary plays off with the usual Netflix panache, but when the plot involves, amongst other things, Michael Jackson’s lost pet snake Lionel being found, it makes sense why the film doesn’t place any additional flair.
Now, how do we get today’s stars to do something like this?
Sundance
1 nom
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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