Red Dog

Slice of life docs are really fascinating to me because after you've seen all the blockbuster superhero nonsense, hanging with actual human beings is gratifying. I don't know Luke Dick, I don't know his music, but I took a chance on this story and I really loved it. His mom is a true blue, authentic American lady. And all the people that surrounded her in this story are cut from that same rebel cloth as Kim. I loved when Luke asks her why she shies away from being labeled a feminist and Kim tells him that she didn't need to belong to any cause or believe in things she didn't believe in to fit in. She's an independent and individual spirit that lives beyond any foolish dogma. I was really impressed by this story and it makes me excited to be a good Dad someday.

I'd never heard of any people or places mentioned in this documentary. I had some fairly crazy '70s experiences, but nothing like the people in this documentary. I'm very impressed with Luke Dick's film skills, his editing and songwriting (this from a music lover who doesn't prefer C/W music). By the end of the film, I wanted to call them friends . His mom Kim's honesty, humor, and love for friends and family made her larger than life. She's a superb storyteller. It's a raw look at several former 'exotic dancers' who made bad and good life choices, whose kids managed to thrive in spite of it. Raised in a strip club environment, around drunks, fighting, drugs, dealers... a very frank look at a lifestyle few would consciously choose. But there's so much love behind all the struggle and pain - love, loyalty, friendship, and family are the values evident throughout these stories. We are all flawed in our own ways, but Luke Dick and his mom bared it all, bravely (both tragically and hilariously) and it's thoroughly entertaining. You want to hear all the stories. Great job, Luke. I'd crowdfund for another film if you make one.

Singer-songwriter, Andy Dick, reviews his life and the deep connection that he has to The Red Dog Saloon, a strip club and biker bar in Oklahoma City, OK. His mom was an exotic dancer there and he was friends and family to many of the crazy and drugged out characters that frequented the bar in the nineteen eighties. A strangely moving portrait of weirdly crude, yet complicated people who have come to terms with the good and bad life choices that they've made.

This documentary is not what I expected. The life stories laid bare in a no holds barred look at life in the fast lane at the Red Dog Saloon. Viewers are shown in detail how we can lead very different lives, but all want the same thing. At the end of the documentary, all I wanted to do was go have a smoke with Kim and learn more about her storied life. Having grown up in a stable two parent household, I have a new found respect for all of the single parents out there who will scrape and scrap to raise their children to be more than themselves. Thank you to Luke and the Red Dog family for bringing me into your world.

This is one of the best personal documentaries I have ever seen. It's not about a historic event or a famous person it's simply about people and being human. This is story telling at its finest and if something about this documentary doesn't connect to you I would be extremely surprised. The filmmaker and especially his mother are a pure joy to watch as well as all the others cast if personalities who were a part of this story. There are no judgements here and no apologies just a level of truth seldom seen today but it's that pure honesty that allows you to connect at a level deeper and the filmmaker does an excellent job of showing that truth in a mostly humorous yet touching story about a strip club in Oklahoma. Don't pass this up if you have the opportunity to watch it, you will walk away feeling better for it!