In Heaven There Is No Beer?

As with all of Les Blank's documentaries, this one is so warm and organic that it's probably not possible to dislike it. The subject is polka music and culture, which is explained to originate from various central European countries, but the film mostly hones in on Polish-American communities, heavy on the tradition and with ties to the Catholic church. If polka is your jam, this'll be your film, as it's playing from beginning to end, and most of the footage seems to be of people hopping and swirling around, having fun, with occasional breaks to show things like how sausage is made (of course, right?).

For me the documentary was harmless enough, but the music and silly lyrics just didn't resonate, and I say that despite (or perhaps because of) growing up regularly hearing the "Beer Barrel Polka," which is referenced here. It brought a smile to my face when some who were interviewed commented on all the ethnicities present, when this was the whitest crowd possible, though to be fair they all seemed quite friendly, and were referring to different white Europeans. Despite the optimism presented four decades ago about how many young people were still making or enjoying polka music, I really wonder what the future of this art form will be, so even though it's not something I gravitate towards, I'm glad Blank captured it.