The Greatest Night in Pop

This isn't the first behind-the-scenes look at the making of such a memorable event, but the footage and insight here will interest and entertain fans—or really anyone of a certain age. Arguably, it might be hard to do the awesome source material of The Greatest Night in Pop wrong, but director Bao Nguyen keeps the pace brisk and lands some key interviews. It might have been nice to see more of the song's widespread impact. Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Stevie Wonder come across as superstars in the conception and execution of the never-before-seen collaboration. Seeing fallen stars like Jackson, Harry Belafonte, Al Jarreau, and more in action and remembering the iconic status of the figures gathered in one place on one night infuse this documentary with nostalgia for people old enough to remember its release.

And the process is great fun too, though there's tension in the all-night "flying by the seat of our pants" undertaking. We find out whose legs were shaking from nerves, who got annoyed with whom, who left early and who didn't show, who got drunk, who looked completely lost, and who stepped on whose toes. There are some surprises in the mix, and ultimately there's a feeling that a bunch of people at the zenith of their careers came together to do something selfless and positive for the world. When Diana Ross cries at the end, wishing it weren't over, we can understand the feeling.