Mavis!

Mavis Staples gets you grinning and grooving from the very start of this joyful documentary. Between family band The Staples Singers and now her own group, Mavis has been on tour singing "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself" for the better part of 60 years, and there are countless reasons why: her unmistakable voice; her radiant stage presence; her timeless message of peace, love, and freedom. Mavis recounts her story herself - with a little help from friends and contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, and Chuck D - while filmmaker Jessica Edwards artfully lays down the backing tracks of Mavis' personal history: gospel tours in the segregated South, singing freedom songs in the civil rights movement, commanding the stage of the Newport Folk Festival and at the Grammys. This soulful and eternally glamorous woman has inspired generations and still remains, as she says herself, "just everyday people." Come on in, sit on down, and let Mavis move you. (Mill Valley Film Festival)