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This
documentary is not what I thought it would be
and not what I wanted it to be. It is sold as
an examination of gay bars in small towns and
how they operate within small communities. The
film begins with a essay on Rumors, a gay bar
in a small Mississippi town, and we meet the
owner, the patrons, and some other community
members who all talk about the bar and what
it represents. This is pretty interesting.
Of course, one of the main patrons at Rumors
is a drag queen who acts as hostess and it all
seems pretty typical and rinky-dink as well.
Still, it is comforting and compelling to know
that there are drag queens even in rural Mississippi
and that the (supposed) entertainment of drag
show is a pretty universal concept in gay bars
no matter where they are. (I for one hate drag
shows and find them to be utterly dull). Another
interesting thing about the bar is the mix of
gays and lesbians who frequent it. In more metropolitan
areas, there are usually separate bars for guys
and girls but in a place where there is only
one gay bar for 100's of miles, boys and girls
learn to share. It seems very refreshing.
I've lived in Texas all of my adult life and
I've been to small town gay bars and big urban
clubs. There are all kinds of gay bars. There
are leather bars, dance clubs, what they call
"twink bars" (which is patronized by young college
aged guys and old trolls who like college aged
guys - like me). I've been to small bars that
you have to travel an hour to get to and seen
how important they are to some people because
it is all that they have. I've seen big city
gay bars that have a different name and a different
decor every 3 months. I've seen blowjobs on
back patios, coke lined up on toilet tank lids,
hustlers picking up johns, you name it. In College
Station I saw two of the hotties, most butch,
young gay cadets with shaved heads making out
passionately in the corner. I've been to bar-b-ques,
steak night, happy hour, 25 cent draft night,
20 dollar raves... and on and on and on. The
point is: Living in Texas, I've been to all
kinds of gay bars. Maybe this film isn't for
me.
Anyway, the problem with "Small Town Gay Bar"
is that it isn't just a travelogue of various
gay bars in various small town around America,
which is what I thought it would be. That would
be simple and fun. This don't want to be a simple
and fun movie. It wants to be a serious and
dramatic essay on homophobia and hate as if
that is something the gay community was lacking.
And so, within the first 20 minutes of this
dismal and dreadful film, we are told about
a horrifying murder of a young gay man in graphic
and disturbing detail. This part of the film
is so drab and so typical that I actually wrote
the words "Matthew Sheppard, Jr." on my notepad
which might just be the most awful and pathetic
thing that has ever popped into my head during
a screening. I mean, this film makes you think
things that end up making you feel disgusted
with yourself.
And as if this tangential bullshit about the
horrible death of some poor schmuck wasn't enough
to make our brown eyes blue (God, please, somebody
stop me), there is an elongated interview with
Fred Phelps. Do you know who he is kiddies?
That's right. He's the pastor that takes his
congregation - including young children - out
to gay events with the signs that say "GOD HATES
FAGS" and "AIDS KILLS FAGS DEAD." This pathetic,
sick, fucked up moron is given carte blanche
in this film to spew his vile and disgusting
homophobia and hate until he runs out of breath.
This film is made by Malcolm Ingram, a openly
gay man, so why does he let this happen? Know
thy enemy? Fuck that shit. Hate thine enemy.
Firebomb thine enemy's church!
Oh but that is not all. Ingram also allows some
moron who is apparently Donald Wildomon's brother
to talk about his hate of gay people too. Donald,
the head of the American Family Association,
who spews as much homophobia as Phelps but understands
that he can't be a politically incorrect if
he really wants to make money, was obviously
too smart to be on camera here. But his brother,
like the typical religious media whore, vomits
on and on about his hatred here. What happened?
Was Pat Boone away for the weekend?
"Small Town Gay Bar" is only 81 minutes long
but it seems like an eternity. There is maybe
15 to 20 minutes of interesting stuff here,
but you have to be like a vulture picking at
the dry bones of injustice to discover it. When
the patrons of the three Mississippi bars spotlighted
here talk about how much their neighborhood
gay watering hole (you come up with a synonym
that doesn't sound dirty) means to them, the
film is sweet and important. But even these
interview segments go on much too long and the
film becomes overly drab.
There's a great idea for a doc here that is
abandoned in order to create something that
is supposed to be "important" and "profound."
That is the worst kind of documentary. Isn't
there enough hate and sadness in the world?
I don't mean to be Pollyanna here (cause I hate
drag and refuse to wear a rose colored dress
- let alone glasses) but couldn't we have a
film that travels to various small town gay
bars across America, interviews the patrons
and the owners, talks about the history of the
bar and how the gay community has had to work
to keep it open, and uplift our spirits with
the stories of these people, these communities
and these gathering places?
No? Okay. Well, don't go and see this film just
because that one hasn't been made. This film
is much more about Ingram's ambitions and ego
than it is about anything else. "Small Town
Gay Bar" should be called "Small Time Filmmaker
Wants to Feel Self-Important."
Notes:
Produced by Kevin Smith and released under his
View Askew banner. Ingram told us that he used
to write for Film Threat and he met Smith at
several film festivals, and eventually the director
gave him money to make three movies.
The music of Modest Mouse is used in the film's
end segment. Bronski Beat's "Small Town Boy"
and Electrric Six's "Gay Bar" appear here as
does songs by Broken Social Scene and others.
The film premiered at Sundance where it was
nominated for a Grand Jury prize.
Viewed during SXSW in March of 2006 at the Alamo
Drafthouse Downtown. You can read more about
the screening on the Day
6 page of the Filethirteen coverage of the
festival.
Report
Card
Content:
D-
Completeness:
F
Cinematography/Lighting:
D
Special
Effects/Make Up: C
Music:
C+
Final
Grade: F
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