Though he doesn't do much that is musical, Ali has a major presence in this film, and it's easy to see why the filmmakers couldn't resist including his brilliant impromptu riffs about things like the relative speed of African and American flies and why New York is more of a jungle than Kinshasa.
If anyone can upstage Ali it's the film's musicians, many of them captured in their prime. Among the highlights are King doing a taut "The Thrill Is Gone," Withers a soulful "Hope She'll Be Happier," Big Black a stellar conga drum solo and Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, knocking them dead as part of the Fania All-Stars.
