I attended college in rural Missouri in the early 1990s and felt this film captured a lot of that environment. In rural settings, a gay bar is often the primary way to interact with other gay people. I do remember driving hours to get to a gay bar. It is not something I would ever do now, but it is a part of gay culture.
One reviewer writes about how the cities in the film are not as rural as portrayed and therefore pans the movie. I checked out a map. Several of the towns appear to be an hour or more from a major city. The most relevant viewpoint is that of the people in the film, who talk about the importance of the bars. I am glad that is not the case for me, but this is an important look at rural gay life. If a person has never been in rural America, this is one way to get a glimpse of reality for many people.