Love to Love You, Donna Summer

Love to Love You, Donna Summer
Official release poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Julie Goldman
  • Christopher Clements
  • Carolyn Hepburn
  • Roger Ross Williams
  • David Blackman
Edited by
  • Enat Sidi
  • Jon Stray
Music byT. Griffin
Production
companies
Distributed byHBO
Release dates
  • February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17) (Berlinale)
  • May 20, 2023 (2023-05-20)
Running time
105 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Love to Love You, Donna Summer is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano. It follows the life and career of Donna Summer.

The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2023. It was released on May 20, 2023, by HBO. The project was nominated at the 8th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards for Best Music Documentary.[2]

Plot

It follows the life and career of Donna Summer.

Production

Brooklyn Sudano wanted to make a documentary revolving around her mother, Donna Summer, after realizing there was more to her than people knew.[3] Roger Ross Williams also wanted to make a documentary revolving around Summer, while discussing a potential project with Julie Goldman, Goldman connected the two.[4][5] Williams and Sudano did not want the project to be a puff piece, instead exploring difficult aspects of Summer's life and career.[6] Sudano and Williams opted to use Summer speaking in her own words, using audiotapes recorded for her memoir Ordinary Girl.[7]

In December 2021, it was announced Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano would direct a documentary film revolving around Donna Summer.[8]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2023.[9][10] It also screened at South by Southwest on March 11, 2023.[1][11] It was released on May 20, 2023, by HBO.[12][13]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "An enigmatic documentary about an equally enigmatic singer, Love to Love You, Donna Summer's got you covered from disco to soul."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

References

  1. ^ a b "Love to Love You, Donna Summer". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Lewis, Hilary (16 October 2023). "Critics Choice Documentary Awards: 'American Symphony' Leads With Six Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  3. ^ Grobar, Jason (April 27, 2023). "Brooklyn Sudano and Roger Ross Williams on Their Donna Summer Doc". POV. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Blake, Meredith (May 19, 2023). "Donna Summer documentary examines the pain behind the disco decadence". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  5. ^ Carey, Matthew (March 14, 2023). "Roger Ross Williams & Brooklyn Sudano – Donna Summer's Daughter – On Their Film About A Music Icon: "She Was A True Artist" – SXSW Studio". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Chiu, David (May 19, 2023). "'Love To Love You, Donna Summer': A Candid Documentary About The Queen Of Disco". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  7. ^ McLachlan, Megan (May 19, 2023). "'Love to Love You, Donna Summer' Directors Brooklyn Sudano & Roger Ross Williams Talk Why Summer is So Much More Than Disco". Awards Daily. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  8. ^ Carey, Matthew (December 16, 2021). "Polygram Entertainment Launches Donna Summer Doc Project, With Singer's Daughter Brooklyn Sudano And Oscar Winner Roger Ross Williams Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (January 30, 2023). "Donna Summer Documentary, Disney Animation Celebration Complete Berlinale Special Lineup". Variety. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "Love to Love You, Donna Summer". Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2023). "SXSW Second Wave Includes UAR's 'Bottoms', Donald Glover's 'Swarm' Series, Michelle Yeoh's 'American Born Chinese' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  12. ^ "HBO Original Documentary LOVE TO LOVE YOU, DONNA SUMMER Debuts May 2023" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "What's New On HBO Max This May" (Press release). Warner Bros. Discovery. April 24, 2023. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "Love to Love You, Donna Summer". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  15. ^ "Love to Love You, Donna Summer". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.