Mary J. Blige's My Life

Last updated
Mary J. Blige's My Life
Mary J Blige My Life.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed by Vanessa Roth
Produced by
  • Ashaunna K. Ayars
  • Q. Nicole Jackson
Starring
CinematographyKalilah Robinson
Edited by
  • Yvette M. Amirian
  • Parris Patton
Music by Mervyn Warren
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios [1]
Release dates
  • June 23, 2021 (2021-06-23)(New York City premiere)
  • June 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Mary J. Blige's My Life is a 2021 American documentary film about the musical career of American recording artist Mary J. Blige directed by Vanessa Roth. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of her 1994 studio album My Life , the film was released on June 25, 2021, on Amazon Prime Video.

Contents

Summary

My Life revisits the early life and career of Mary J. Blige, with a focus on her 1994 studio album of the same name. The film features appearances by Andre Harrell, Blige's sisters, the My Life songwriters, Sean Combs, [2] Method Man, Alicia Keys, Tyler Perry, and Nas, [3] as well as footage of Blige performing the album live for the first time during its 25th anniversary in 2019. [4]

Production

In December 2019, Amazon Studios and Entertainment One announced a documentary film on Mary J. Blige. [5] [6] The film was produced by Amazon Studios in collaboration with Blige's production company Blue Butterfly. [7] It was directed by Vanessa Roth, with Blige serving as executive producer. [8] The film also features music composed by Mervyn Warren. [9]

Release

On June 23, 2021, the film received its world premiere at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. [10] It was made available digitally on-demand through streaming platform Amazon Prime Video on June 25, 2021. [11] A ballad by Mary J. Blige titled "Hourglass", co-written by Teddy Riley, Andy Murray, Benjamin Wright, and Romans, was released in conjunction with the film. [12]

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 60% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. [13] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [14]

Johnny Loftus of Decider stated that it "celebrates the lasting influence of an incredible album" while also highlighting "the singer and songwriter’s profound struggle for wellness". [15] Writing for the Los Angeles Times , Michael Ordona praised the film for "its fan testimonials of the album’s impact and Blige’s emotional recollections of the songs' roots." [16] Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com described the film as "fortuitously (providing) a love letter to Blige’s fans that teems with the same truthful message as the singer's best music". [17] In a review for Variety , Andrew Barker wrote that "as a fan-centric retrospective, (the film) hits plenty of the right notes; but as a chance to more thoroughly explore a complicated, still-influential landmark, it never digs quite deeply enough." [18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mary J Blige's My Life (2021) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  2. Gracie, Bianca (June 25, 2021). "Mary J. Blige Remembers the Moment She Learned to Love Herself". Harper's Bazaar .
  3. Leight, Elias (June 25, 2021). "Mary J. Blige's 'My Life' Documentary: 8 Things We Learned". Rolling Stone .
  4. Legaspi, Althea (June 1, 2021). "Mary J. Blige Reflects on 'My Life' in New Documentary Trailer". Rolling Stone .
  5. Vlessing, Etan (December 3, 2019). "Mary J. Blige Documentary in the Works From Amazon, Entertainment One". The Hollywood Reporter .
  6. Zemler, Emily (December 4, 2019). "Amazon Studios Announces Upcoming Mary J. Blige Documentary". Rolling Stone .
  7. Isama, Antoinette (June 24, 2021). "Mary J. Blige on the Power of Her Life and More". Ebony .
  8. Tangcay, Jazz (June 25, 2021). "Mary J. Blige and Director Vanessa Roth Talk 'My Life' Film, and the Album That Impacted a Generation". Variety .
  9. "War On Drugs 50 Years Later; Mary J. Blige Documentary". NPR . June 25, 2021.
  10. Appler, Michael (June 24, 2021). "Mary J. Blige Celebrates 25 Years of 'My Life' at NYC Documentary Premiere". Variety .
  11. Mamo, Heren (June 25, 2021). "Mary J. Blige Talks 'My Life' Doc, Protecting Her Inner-Child & Honoring Andre Harrell: Watch". Billboard .
  12. Folk, Antwane (June 25, 2021). "Mary J. Blige Releases New Song 'Hourglass'". Rated R&B .
  13. "Mary J. Blige's My Life". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 24, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  14. "Mary J. Blige's My Life". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  15. Loftus, Johnny (June 25, 2021). "Stream It or Skip It: 'Mary J. Blige's My Life' on Amazon Prime, Which Reflects On The Pain And Promise Of A Powerful Record". Decider .
  16. Ordona, Michael (June 24, 2021). "Review: Determined women dig deep in four new documentaries". Los Angeles Times .
  17. Daniels, Robert (June 25, 2021). "Mary J Blige's My Life". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  18. Barker, Andrew (June 25, 2021). "'Mary J. Blige's My Life' Review: Landmark R&B Album Gets a Documentary Spotlight". Variety .