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I wasn’t expecting to like “The Greatest Night in Pop,” director Bao Nguyen’s new Netflix documentary about the making of the 1985 mega-hit song, “We Are the World.” When my wife suggested it, my anti-pop music reflex kicked in and I barely suppressed an eye roll. How about a feel-good film about legendary Canadian trio Rush instead?

But I was wrong. “The Greatest Night in Pop” is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the creative process in action. Recorded in a single, marathon session held after the American Music Awards in January 1985, “We Are the World” became one the best-selling singles of all-time and raised hundreds of millions of dollars for famine relief. On an impossibly tight timeline, dozens of the world’s most talented artists collaborated to produce an iconic song. What a story!

Part of the film’s appeal is purely nostalgic, a chance to see the stars of the 80s when they were young and at the height of their artistic powers. There’s Bruce Springsteen laughing with Michael Jackson . . . there’s Cyndi Lauper belting out with Huey Lewis . . . there’s Diana Ross hugging Tina Turner. So many different genres, so many different personas, all in the same room, all working together for a common cause.

Conditioned as we are by a generation of “reality” shows, we might expect that this collection of divas and egos would clash ferociously, with dramatic confrontations punctuated by people storming off. There’s a bit of that, but remarkably little given the circumstances. Instead, we see these big stars rising to the moment, checking their egos at the door (as producer Quincy Jones instructed), and patiently working together.

Much of the credit for the camaraderie goes to Lionel Richie. I hadn’t thought much about Richie since his hit “All Night Long” played on a loop throughout my 6^th grade year, but he was the maestro of the evening — the one man who could soothe the egos, corral the personalities, and get everyone from a stoned Bob Dylan to a bangly Cindi Lauper to perform at their best.

“The Greatest Night in Pop” lives up to its billing.