Never heard of Allee Willis? If not, trust me, no matter your age, you know her work. This iconic songwriter/visual artist was responsible for writing or co-writing “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” for Earth, Wind & Fire, “Neutron Dance” for The Pointer Sisters, “What Have I Done To Deserve This?” for Pet Shop Boys, The Color Purple musical, and the inescapable earworm juggernaut that was “I’ll Be There For You”, the theme song from Friends. She also threw legendary parties at her Pee-wee’s Playhouse-style North Hollywood home and was her own work of art with her loud, colorful outfits and asymmetrical hairdo.
Director Alexis Spraic and producers Nicholas Coles and Prudence Fenton, Allee’s partner, bring this one-of-a-kind person to vivid life in the documentary The World According To Allee Willis. The fact that Willis seemingly documented her life with over 10,000 hours of footage and every snippet of paper on which she ever scribbled out lyrics, has given the filmmakers a rich base allowing Willis to virtually tell her own story in her own voice. Combining this with sit-down interviews from a wonderful gallery of famous faces such as Lily Tomlin, Paul Reubens, Lesley Ann Warren, Bruce Vilanch, Pamela Adlon, Verdine White, Brenda Russell, Stephen Bray, Julie Brown, Patti LaBelle and many more gives us as complete a picture of its subject as possible considering Willis sadly passed away in 2019 at the age of 72.
Despite her enormous success, Willis had a complex life, with her mother dying when she was young, her father not approving of her embracing Black culture, and battles with self-esteem, her sexuality, and surprisingly with money issues. Spraic paints a warm and lovely picture of Willis, but admirably doesn’t shy away from her very human struggles. She may have been a major talent and a blast to be around, but what made her even more special were her very relatable foibles. You may end up feeling that dichotomy of knowing her and not at the same time.
Every interview feels supported by footage which amply illustrates their stories, while Allee herself dominates the film. Some of the sound and image quality may suffer, but the filmmakers have wisely chosen to put story above perfection. This allows for the many facets of Willis’ personality to shine. What surprised me the most about her was the fact that she felt lonely for much of her life but also experienced great love with her partner, Prudence. You might have thought she had amassed extreme wealth until you find out how small her percentages were with regard to song royalties. Although out to her friends, she never introduced her partner to her father nor did she really like to discuss her sexuality in public. As a woman in the music industry, she was an outlier and treated as such, only finding acceptance and celebration later in life when she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame just a year before her death.
This film should serve as a template for how to create a well-rounded portrait of a complicated person and yet still retain a sliver of her mystique. Ultimately, it’s a celebration of a highly accomplished woman who gave and continues to give big-hearted joy to our lives. The ending scene alone made me want to reach into the great beyond and dance in the streets with this special person. At a time when there’s so much conformity in our world, it feels exactly right to bow down to someone who refused to be anyone else but her wacky, driven, flawed self.
By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic
The World According To Allee Willis opens in New York, Los Angeles and Detroit on November 15th with Nationwide One-Night-Only Theatrical Screenings on November 19th, 2024 and will be available on VOD starting November 22nd.
