WORDS / ANDREW MCCLAIN

Directed by:  AJ Schnack, David Wilson

First things first: let’s talk about this title. I think it’s one of the greatest titles I’ve ever heard. I’ll be honest – I think I saw this movie mostly because of the title.

The film is officially described as “…a story of family, community, music and tradition set against the backdrop of Branson, Missouri, one of the biggest tourist destinations in America,” which sounds like it could just as easily be a snoozer, to be honest, but there’s something insidious about that title that I couldn’t resist.

Little Rock is the closest to Branson the film has ever screened, so it had an audience of people (like myself) who grew up going to Branson, at least once or twice. Most of us, I’m sure, had mixed feelings about the superficial, kitschy tourist culture of Branson, and none of us were interested in seeing a documentary that celebrated and affirmed that culture.

Instead, the directors took the noble and difficult route of showing us the culture and allowing the audience to make up their minds about Branson, which is what a good documentary should do. Throughout the course of the film, we meet the Raeanne Presley, the mayor of Branson, her family, (of “Presleys’ Country Jubilee,” one of the oldest revue shows in Branson) as well as the other Branson showbiz dynasty, the Lennon family, (of The Lennon Sisters) and a host of performers who call Branson home.

Along the way, we come to understand just how aware most residents of Branson are of the kitschy image the town has, and why they don’t mind. We get involved with the lives of a couple who is struggling to run a show. We meet a halfway-closeted gay couple of performers trying to find normalcy in the middle of the Bible Belt. We see the good and the bad and just how weird it is for those who actually make their livelihood in the town that was once described (on “The Simpsons) as “what Las Vegas would be like if it was run by Ned Flanders.”

There are some unexpected twists and turns – there are some remarkable moments that the crew was able to capture that didn’t necessarily contribute to the overarching narrative of the movie, but were too good to leave out.

It’s a fascinating documentary about the concept of a “heartland” and the way it is ultimately reflected in a town’s tourist-driven economy and culture.

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