MUSICIANS ENJOY SPOTLIGHT IN 'SHADOWS OF MOTOWN'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

'STANDING in the Shadows of Motown'' is Detroit's answer to ``The Buena Vista Social Club,'' an entertaining documentary that rescues a group of undeservedly obscure musicians and gives them a moment in the spotlight. While ``Motown'' isn't as accomplished as its predecessor, it manages to get by on sentimentality and on the strength of all those great Motown songs from the 1960s. You may leave the theater with more questions than answers, but darned if your toes won't still be tapping.

The movie looks at the Funk Brothers, the unheralded house band of Detroit musicians who provided the backing tracks on all those great songs by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, the Temptations, the Supremes and, well, you get the idea. The prologue proudly notes that these men have played on more No. 1 hits than the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and Elvis combined. And yet nobody knows their names - until now.

And that really is the beauty of the film, giving these guys their due. You just wish that a more focused filmmaker, like ``Social Club's'' Wim Wenders, had been behind the camera. Director Paul Justman is content to put together some enjoyable, if superficial, interviews with the surviving musicians, sometimes unnecessarily illustrating them with grainy re-enactments that would seem more appropriate for something like ``Unsolved Mysteries.''

The film's centerpiece is a recent reunion concert featuring the Funk Brothers playing with a revolving cast of second-tier stand-in singers who aren't always equal to the material. Joan Osborne comes off best, delivering wonderful versions of ``(Love Is Like A) Heatwave'' and ``What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.'' But the sometimes so-so singing can't deflate the music, supporting the Funk Brothers' claim that anyone could have hit it big as long as they were backing them up.

Unfortunately, none of the musicians themselves appear to have hit it big. What the film really needs is a better grasp of Motown history. Justman never reveals how much Motown founder Berry Gordy paid these guys or what happened to them once the label left Detroit for Los Angeles. Nobody has a bad word to say about their former boss, but then again, you're left with the distinct impression that such dissent wouldn't be allowed, otherwise Gordy wouldn't give the filmmakers the rights to all those fantastic Motown songs.

The film's flaws aren't fatal, though. The Funk Brothers are great storytellers, and the music remains as fun and vital as ever. As a celebration of these musicians and their music, ``Standing in the Shadows of Motown'' accomplishes its mission. You'll never be able to listen to a Motown hit again without thinking of the men behind the music.

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN - Three stars

(PG: language and thematic elements)

Starring: The Funk Brothers.

Director: Paul Justman.

Running time: 1 hr. 48 min.

Playing: Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Regent Showcase Theater in Hollywood; Magic Johnson Theaters in Baldwin Hills.

In a nutshell: Flawed but fun documentary about the musicians behind the Motown sound.

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Photo:

Guitarists Robert White, left, and Joe Messina lay down tracks for Motown in the label's Studio A in Detroit.