Little Richard: I Am Everything is currently streaming on HBO Max

Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)101 minDocumentary, MusicRating 61/100

In this groundbreaking look at the life and legacy of a global icon, Emmy®-winning filmmaker Lisa Cortés (HBO's The Apollo) explores the Black queer origins of rock n' roll through the lens of celebrated artist Richard Penniman – better known as Little Richard. Through a wealth of archival footage and performances revealing his complicated inner world, the film traces Richard's humble origins in a segregated Macon, Georgia to his explosive entry into the whitewashed canon of American popular music. Featuring interviews with friends, family, and fellow musicians, as well as Black and queer scholars, Little Richard: I Am Everything illuminates how Richard created an art form for unabashed self-expression that he was ultimately never able to give himself.

Cast: Little Richard, John Waters, Mick Jagger, Billy Porter, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Nona Hendryx

Director: Lisa Cortés