LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator — the originator — Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression, yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself. Throughout his life, Richard careened like a shiny cracked pinball between God, sex and rock n’ roll. The world tried to put him in a box, but Richard was an omni being who contained multitudes — he was unabashedly everything.

“Does an impressive job of reminding us how much generations of rock stars, from Tom Jones to Mick Jagger, Elton John and Prince, have owed to Little Richard, and how radical his presence was in a world not yet ready to pay for his talent.” (Observer UK)

“Little Richard emerges here as an exquisite figure, an aesthete and athlete: a butterfly who could never be broken on any wheel.” (Guardian)

“A long-overdue creation corrective that gives an outwardly revolutionary cultural icon his trailblazing due at the same time it grapples with the conflicted soul that rarely knew a lasting inner peace.” (Los Angeles Times)

“I enjoyed it immensely. And if you didn’t enjoy it, I’m pretty sure Little Richard would tell you to “Shut up.” ” (Chicago Reader)

“This is one of those instances where a film thoughtfully reexamines previously established truths about a musician’s legacy so fervently that it completely upends you.” (Huffington Post)

Friday, May 19
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 4:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets HERE

#MusicMonday, May 23
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 4:15 *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets HERE

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING (Lisa Cortes, 2023 / 98 mins / PG) Throughout his life, Little Richard careened between religion, sex and rock ‘n’ roll. A treasure trove of archival material brings to life a revolutionary figure, one who reinvented popular music as the ultimate form of self-expression.

*Minors OK. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and Rio Theatre passes are OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*Online sales end an hour before showtime; unless otherwise noted, tickets are always available for purchase at the box office prior to showtime. All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale. Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats and time for treats.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance <[email protected]> and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime. (We seat 400+ people and our regular screenings are very rarely at capacity – you should not have issues being admitted.)