Miss Sharon Jones!

At first, it's difficult to figure out what exactly Miss Sharon Jones is. We're told right away that in spite of adversity she has built a solid career for herself, so at first it seems like the movie will be about that. But once we get past seeing her sing a little, we learn she is fighting cancer, and it becomes clear after a bit that this will be the focus of the movie. It's an odd, unfocused start to what becomes, over time, an interesting portrayal of an interesting woman.

We never really do learn much about how Jones built her career; just bits and pieces of that story pop up. But we do see her positive attitude and her hard-working spirit, and we see the intense loyalty of those around her. We also see how devastating it is for a band when its leader goes out of commission.

The movie has some wonderful moments, such as Jones singing in a southern church or the way she moves from backstage trepidation to overpowering, joyous life on stage. But the movie also feels like an odd animal - not quite storytelling, not quite cinema verite - that makes it feel like you really needed to go into the movie knowing more about Jones than I did (I saw the movie because my girlfriend is a huge fan, and was, in fact, at the comeback concert near the end of the movie).

Still, overall I did enjoy this.