Shut Up & Sing

Here's a perfect example of why you have to take the IMDb rating system with a grain of salt -- many of the people who hate the Dixie Chicks because they made an anti-Bush comment will give a rating of 1, even if they haven't seen the film. Pro-Dixie Chicks people will feel compelled to give it a 10 to balance out the 1s. Check the vote graph to see the absurd number of 10s and 1s it's getting.

The truth is, it's a pretty good documentary that's worth checking out. I knew very little about the group before seeing this film, but I'm now more likely to listen to (or buy) their music than I was before. I'm still amazed at the size of the backlash that was created. Hopefully this will open some people's eyes.

I also saw this movie at TIFF and thought it one of the highlights of the festival. Like the music that envelopes it, this film was worth the wait. The film shows the band as professional, very talented, and still growing in their musicianship and performing skills. At the same time, Kopple and Peck capture the personalities and heart that are at the center of the band and their music. The film is revealing about the American's media's trivializing of dissent about the Iraq war and the deep antagonisms within American society -- antagonisms that defy country v. rock v. pop v. classical labels. It clearly shows some of the ill effects of the media monopolies newly permitted by the FCC. The Dixie Chicks were ahead of some of their audience in recognizing the disastrous nature of the war but many in that audience have now caught up with those sentiments and the Dixie Chicks have broadened their audience and their music since then. The music is terrific! What a great film!

When I went to this movie, I wondered whether it would be as funny as SPINAL TAP or as insightful as FAHRENHEIT 9/11. What really shocked me was that it was more exciting than both movies. The Dixie Chicks come across as smarter than Michael Moore, funnier, kinder, and sexier too!

Unlike Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks are not angry or driven by rage. They don't need wacko conspiracy theories to bolster their position. This incredible true story mixes glamor, humor, great music and current events in a way that lets the facts speak for themselves. All you have to do is listen to George Bush talk and you understand Natalie's whole point of view without a word being said. But then you get to meet the Dixie Chicks themselves, and it's like love at first sight.

Watching the movie, you see three very beautiful women who love their families, their music, and each other. And you get the sense that Natalie Maines, for all her wholesome Sandra Dee looks (and her considerable sex appeal), is exactly the kind of strong-willed, independent minded hero that young people should be taught to admire. It's so refreshing to see that courage doesn't always mean fighting or shooting a gun! At times you really have to stop yourself and go -- hey, did she just say that?!? But in a good way. You see this dangerous radical snuggling into the cushions like a ten year old or lounging around like a trailer park diva, but then you listen to what she's saying and her courage is just overwhelming. And her wit is razor sharp! Watch the scene where she's teasing her manager and her band mates and she uses George Bush's "with us or against us" line to make them laugh and at the same time get her point across. No wonder she's the leader of this remarkable band!

But this isn't just Natalie's movie. If you watch Emily Robison, (she's the dark-eyed, quiet one, looks like Julia Roberts but more earthy and full of strength) it's impossible not to sense that while Natalie acts, Emily thinks. She's the introspective one, and the way the movie catches her thinking and analyzing makes for fascinating viewing. Even when she's in the midst of childbirth, you sense the way she steps back mentally to gain perspective and take stock of what it all means. She's also the one, I think, who is most willing to compromise and listen to other points of view. She's like Mr. Spock to Natalie's Captain Kirk, except both of them are wives and mothers, glamorous and nurturing, strong and feminine and they never for one moment let you forget it.

If I haven't said much about Martie McGuire in this review, it's only because she comes across as very shy and less inclined to put herself out there for the film process. But her playing and singing is really beautiful, and there's one scene at the very end of the movie that will just break your heart.

In the end, I have to say that this movie exceeded my expectations as entertainment, as art and journalism and as political commentary. I'm not a big country music fan, but I would definitely buy an album by the incredibly courageous and talented people who made this film.

because I don't much like country music.

I am a big fan of the first amendment, however, and have thrown a few $$$ set aside for my music budget towards the Chicks.

Whether you agree with what they said or not, it is an American value to speak your mind, and a greater American value to defend the rights of others who speak their minds as well. That value is never so brilliantly displayed as when used to defend those with whom you disagree.

God (and that's MY concept of God, not yours) bless the first amendment, and more power to the Dixie Chicks.

Watch this movie. Let it warm your heart, or set a fire in your mind. That's what truly free speech will do for you.

Free speech being what it is in this country (a novel concept, wherein one person who shouts down mediocrity is immediately usurped by another, opposing voice who shouts down that original voice), it's a shame this entertaining documentary on the outspoken Dixie Chicks can't be enjoyed by everyone. A liberal viewpoint and an anti-George W. Bush comment made in London on-stage in 2003 left the one-time country music darlings Natalie Maines, Emily Robison, and Martie Maguire fueling the fires of controversy; two years later they recorded an incredibly strong (and wise) comeback-record of purpose, one that quickly put them back on top in some markets (the country network is shown as still being iffy). Whether Republican or Democrat, the new music (shrewdly, though apparently unintentionally, accessible to quite a wide audience) can certainly be enjoyed for everything it is: a defiant and sometimes joyous collection of songs which make a bold, personal statement and yet leave lots of room for debate. The band's inner-political strategy seems non-existent (the original offending comment was obviously an off-the-cuff josh with the audience); while there's certainly more Bush-bashing in private, the women band together quite impressively. Maines, who made the remark, is said to be terribly guilty about putting her cohorts in harm's way, yet her righteous anger fuels her course with very little public regret (which some will love and some will not). An impressive film with much to consider and much to admire. *** from ****