Been Rich All My Life: Critic Reviews

Good times and bum times, they've seen it all and they're still here. Lucky us.

Been Rich All My Life, an admiring portrait of the Silver Belles, a troupe of veteran Harlem tap dancers between the ages of 84 and 96, is a valuable historical document and a useful how-to movie about making the most of old age.

If you only watched the first half of Been Rich All My Life, you might walk away thinking it's a so-so documentary about another fascinating, underreported piece of Harlem history. And you'd be at least half right in that assessment.

The Silver Belles, five former Harlem chorus girls who are still bustin' a move despite their advanced ages, are the best kind of company there is.

Though the stripped-down style of Heather Lyn MacDonald's documentary doesn't quite do justice to her fabulous heroines, the extraordinary energy of the five former chorus girls she profiles provides plenty of fuel.

It's a modest but highly enjoyable tribute.

Providing an inspiration for active retirement, the ex-Harlem Renaissance chorus girls profiled in docu Been Rich All My Life are still shaking booty while most of their contemporaries can only shuffle their walkers.

Under director Heather Lyn MacDonald, the film is generic and uninspired, better suited to public TV than the big screen.

A richly uplifting if somewhat rambling portrait of indomitableness in the face of old age and infirmity, Been Rich All My Life will be inspirational to young and old alike.

MacDonald seems less interested in the Silver Belles' past than their inspirational present. Eventually, the inevitable broken hips and dizzy spells take their toll, but those who remain seem determined to shuffle-step their way into the sunset.

The rhythm of life is a powerful beat - and this affectionate and revealing documentary is sure to get even the most world-weary feet tapping.

It's a credit to MacDonald that she provides a little-known view of Harlem's halcyon days, but what's missing is the pith and marrow: We feel that the women still elude us.

An enchanting, if bittersweet, memoir which seamlessly interweaves wistful, tenderhearted reflections with archival film footage and the readily-observable harsh realities associated with advanced age to yield a splendid slice of African-American history.

At a time in their lives when their contemporaries are bouncing great-grandchildren on their knees, these Harlem divas of dance are bouncing their booties around.

[MacDonald's] subjects -- former black chorus girls from Harlem's golden age, when the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater ruled New York nightlife -- are utterly captivating.

Because Been Rich follows a well-hoofed path, there aren't a lot of surprises, but the women make for good company.

Reminds us that every life contains many acts worth hearing about, not just a select few.

This is a film about brave women who left home as teenagers and have been on their own ever since. Now, nearing the end of that road, they face their inevitable decline with a cheerful vivacity.

This is a sweet documentary about a small group of women who've danced their way through life.

The film could be more adept and probing, but the ladies -- Cleo Hayes, Marion Coles, Elaine Ellis, Fay Ray, and Geri Kennedy -- are delightful.

Been Rich All My Life has a soft, golden glow, but it could have been much richer.

A treasure that celebrates remarkable women with a unparalleled zest for life.

These women deserve some fond acclaim for their attempts to conquer age.