For the first half of the film, it seemed as if I was watching a neverending trailer: bits and pieces of testimonials praising him in vague terms, without explaining what Avant's craft and magic consisted of. Which is a pity, because the movie fails to do justice to such an extraordinary professional who challenged social and racial standards and managed to highlight so many raw talents. I am sure some insightful and researched interview question would have helped the people featured in the film be more eloquent and explicit.
Also from a cinematic point of view, it seemed to me the movie tries to hard to paint a one-dimension character, by praising too much and creating an aura around him, while failing to add depth and neutrality to the story. One relevant example is the story of Sixto Rodriguez in which Avant was glorified for discovering and even making personal sacrifices for Sugarman, without discussing the controversy of artists' recognition and fair payment (which was incidental to many Motown artists back in the days).
The movie's probably only merit, in my opinion, is to have brought in the spotlight a pioneer of the artistic world, one who pierced boundaries and open the door for those who followed. And the merit belongs to Clarence Avant.
Review of The Black Godfather
