I saw this in a New York independent film theater when it was first released. I knew Bill Wither's hit songs of era but knew nothing of his private life. He comes across in this doc as a laid back southern gentleman. He left the music business, seemingly by choice. He is content to spend time with his family and occasionally dabble in making music when the mood hits him. Some of the best moments show him visiting his old home town in West Virginia and reminiscing with a childhood friend. A funny scene shows him talking about his job making toilets for 747s, which he speaks about with as much pride as he did his songwriting. What is refreshing about this is that he seems to be saying take pride in your work no matter what. There is an encounter with Dr Cornell West and Tavis Smiley, two black commentators and activists. They try to get Withers to talk about not "selling out", but Bill will have none of that, he just says even if you own a furniture store, the best sign you can have is "Sold Out". Withers also mentions that women did not find him handsome until he became famous, he wasn't able to get women while making 3 dollars a hour! Withers reveals he was a stutterer when he was young, and there is a moving sequence where he speaks to children with the same problem. There is later a wonderful scene where his daughter sings a hypnotic blues song she composed herself, she clearly inherited his musical talent and has a lovely voice. By this time, we are wondering if we will get to hear Withers himself sing again, and the last scenes finally show him on stage at a tribute where he gives us his classic "Grandma's Hands"Definitely a must see for anyone interested in 70's music and if you want to see a nice guy not finish last for once.

Still Bill (2009) *** (out of 4) Candid documentary about soul singer Bill Weather's who is best known today for the classics "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" but just as his career was taking off he decided to leave the business and take care of his family. This is a pretty fascinating documentary on many levels but the biggest is probably just the fact that everyone knows a song like "Lean on Me" yet they might not realize who sings it or whatever happened to him. This documentary runs 78-minutes and it really tries to explain what Withers has been up to in the twenty-three years since his last album. Withers discusses why he walked away from the business, the issues he had being popular and we also learn some darker things including his work with stuttering children, which he was one of when he was younger. In the film's most touching moment Withers is being honored for his work with stuttering kids and he finally breakdowns, which is extremely heartfelt and especially his message for the kids. We also deal with his music as he explains what he has been up to all these years and we also hear from his daughter who herself was trying to get into music. The cameras are also there as Withers plans on getting back in the studio for a Spanish song. Fans of Withers are certainly going to enjoy seeing this look at his life because you really do get a great idea of who the man is and it's clear that he has a certain integrity that would be hard to find in the business. The way he just walked away from the money and spotlight because he didn't have anything to say can be greatly admired as is the work he does for those who suffered as he did as a child. We get clips from live performances, TV shows as well as a tribute concert. STILL BILL still leaves a few questions unanswered and at times it goes slightly off the rails but this is still an impressive film worth watching.

Delightful, short, but insightful documentary about the great 70s and 80s R+B icon Bill Withers, who wrote and sang such great hits as 'Ain't No Sunshine' and 'Lean on Me'. It's a portrait of a wonderfully strong yet gentle and likable man, who refused to bend to record company creative demands, even though it might have cost him fame and money, and who simply walked away from the music business when it was no longer something he wanted to deal with.Now at age 70, he dispenses wonderfully wise and witty aphorisms, and still works on music, but for himself, not the world. He's also open enough to question whether his lack of ambition is a good or bad thing – although on evidence he seems about as happy and well adjusted a man as you could find, loving his family, helping stuttering kids (he suffered with the same problem through much of his early life), and enjoying the creative process itself as an end, not a means. Quiet, simply filmed, this documentary made me feel good about life, and immediately want to go order a CD of Wither's greatest hits.

I'll make it short and simple: If you want to watch a well done documentary, you've come to the right place. This film is very delicately crafted and grades highly on many aspects. First of all, the soundtrack of the movie is, as expected, simply beautiful. As a musician myself, I can only admire some of the scenes where you can just see the pure talent Bill possesses. Asides from that, it is an inspiring film about the human nature and the struggling journey of one individual through life, seeking recognition and later on - knowing just when to stop. I didn't know Bill Withers' biography prior to watching this and was very intrigued to learn about his life and insights (lets just say that he was a very very late bloomer). I give it a 9 out of 10, if only because it was such a delightful surprise, as I didn't know what to expect.