X
  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 21 m
  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 21 m
Been Rich All My Life

Summary This documentary follows the unlikeliest troupe of tap dancing divas. They are the "Silver Belles," five former showgirls now aged 84-96, performing to standing ovations, as sassy as they ever were. They met during Harlem's 1930's heyday, dancing in the chorus lines at the Apollo Theater, the Cotton Club, Small's Paradise and Connie's In...

Directed By: Heather MacDonald

  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 21 m
  • 2006
  • Not Rated
  • First Run Features
  • 1 h 21 m

Been Rich All My Life

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
67
User Score Available after 4 ratings
tbd
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary This documentary follows the unlikeliest troupe of tap dancing divas. They are the "Silver Belles," five former showgirls now aged 84-96, performing to standing ovations, as sassy as they ever were. They met during Harlem's 1930's heyday, dancing in the chorus lines at the Apollo Theater, the Cotton Club, Small's Paradise and Connie's In...

Directed By: Heather MacDonald

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
67
76% Positive
13 Reviews
24% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
67
76% Positive
13 Reviews
24% Mixed
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
88
It's a modest but highly enjoyable tribute.
FULL REVIEW
75
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.
By Bill White FULL REVIEW
75
They're frank, funny, resilient and altogether captivating.
By Maitland McDonagh FULL REVIEW
70
Been Rich All My Life is something like the "Ballets Russes" of tap dancing. I'm delighted to report that the similarities include the fact that the Belles are transmitting their improvisatory "rhythm tap" style to generations of younger dancers.
By Andrew O'Hehir FULL REVIEW
70
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.
By Dennis Harvey FULL REVIEW
60
The documentary becomes more poignant and substantial when old age begins to seriously disable some of the dancers.
By J.R. Jones FULL REVIEW
50
The film is generic and uninspired, better suited to public TV than the big screen.
By V.A. Musetto FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Toots Crackin Productions
Release Date Jul 21, 2006
Duration 1 h 21 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
View All Details

Awards

Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

98
Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

96
Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

96
Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

95
Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

95
Universal Acclaim

Collective

95
Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

94
Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

94
Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

94
Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

94
Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

93
Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

93
Universal Acclaim

Our Body

93
Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

93
Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

93
Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

93
Universal Acclaim

Crumb

93
Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

92
Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

92
Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

92
Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

92
Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

92
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie