LAFF ‘09 Review: Branson
Branson – USA 2009
Directed by Brent Meeske. Featuring Jackson Cash, Amber Campbell, Geoffrey Hastings Haberer, Peggy Lee Brennan-Haberer, Terry Wayne, Nita Tate, Eric Eichenberger, Patrick Schuster, Angela Walk, Blake Walker, Jim Mock and Jim Mock Jr.
Documentary Competition – World Premiere
Brent Meeske’s documentary which made its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival was my favorite movie of the week and I’m a little disappointed it didn’t win any awards.
Yes, I know some of you on the coasts are rolling your eyes because you think the tourist mecca that is Branson, Missouri is corny. And it is. And I think Meeske had tongue a little bit in cheek when he started documenting some of the performers on the lower rungs of the town’s thriving entertainment industry, but as he got to know them – especially the troubled Johnny Cash impersonator at the center of the story – he was moved by their stories and you will be too.
There’s something intriguing about people who are obsessed with performing. Deep down it’s not a calculated thing and for the ones who stick with it, it has little in the end to do with fame and fortune. It’s the high they get from standing in front of the world and putting a smile on its face. Once they get a taste of it – even if it’s just in a high school play – they’re addicted and like junkies they’ll anything to keep it going even if it means standing in a mall food court belting out Ring of Fire to a spotty patch of exhausted shoppers.
Maybe it’s because I live in a different kind of entertainment mecca and every day I see the handful of successes and the bus loads of failures. A few make it big, but most don’t and it’s endlessly fascinating to me.
Though Meeske tells several stories including that of a single mother who’s not getting any younger and who knows her gig with a ’60s nostalgia ensemble is probably her last shot at the entertainment industry, the narrative drive of Branson is provided by the ups and downs of Jackson Cash, a 50-something guitar player and singer with a lifetime of substance abuse behind him and nothing in front of him but the dream of being Johnny Cash before a theater full of fans for a few hours each night.
When we meet him, he’s avoiding his landlord and hawking CDs to strangers at gas stations. In the year or so that Meeske spends with him, he makes an unlikely rise to the middle only to have it fall away again because of his own self destruction. Maybe because he’s bottomed out many times before, he’s able to pick himself back up and make another stab at success. The sad thing is that no matter what plateau he reaches, you know his ghosts and demons will always be there threatening to drag him back down again.
It’s pretty clear Meeske really likes his subjects, though he manages to stay removed and simply document rather than try to influence one way or the other. His subjects are shown through high points and low and it doesn’t feel staged for the camera. There’s also none of the American Idol tackiness and exploitation that you might expect. Meeske is telling an entertaining story about humans as much as a human story about entertainers.
After the screening, Mr. Cash appeared on stage, told a couple of stories, performed a few numbers by the Man in Black and received a standing ovation from a jaded Los Angeles audience for his troubles. Later he manned a table outside the theater selling CDs and DVDs and signing autographs. Jackson Cash just never quits and you’re left with the feeling that his story won’t end when the lights come back up. There’s no way to tell which way it’s going to go, but you can’t help rooting for the guy and hoping for the best.
Check out the trailer:
Filed under: Film Festivals, Reviews, Trailers
Tags: Amber Campbell, Branson, Brent Meeske, Jackson Cash, LAFF, Los Angeles Film Festival
This is an awesome review. I’ve never been to Branson but this sounds like a really interesting and worthwhile movie to check out.
The Branson entertainment scene isn’t my cup of tea at all, but I’m fascinated by performers and this was a pretty great story.
#1 Hits of the 60’s Show Branson Missouri, now performing in its 7th year, is excited to be a part of the documentary “Branson” which premiered on Sunday June 21st at the LA Film Festival. #1 Hits of the 60’s Show in Branson is a two hour full production show on stage with a cast and band who bring to life the 60’s Decade through music, dance, comedy and unique video segments. Credit has to be given to the good Lord who gives all talents for the creation of the show’s quality. For information about the #1 Hits of the 60’s Show in Branson MO go to http://www.1hitsofthe60s.com.
You guys are relentless, Nita. :)
I haven’t read the review but I’ve already committed myself to seeing this. Looking forward to it.
I expect to enjoy this much more than any of the many shows I’ve seen in Branson. It’s one of those required places Arkansas church youth groups must go (not to mention Arkansas families) so as a preacher’s kid I’ve been more times than I can count. I have sometimes wondered about the little stories behind all the big country glitz and the people who actually live there year round.
Excellent review. I like this line especially, since it’s got that twisty parallelism and at once gets to the heart of the film, as the filmmakers intended: “Meeske is telling an entertaining story about humans as much as a human story about entertainers.”
I hope this film catches on.
You’ll probably get an extra charge out of it having been to Branson, JB, but I hope it appeals to everyone no matter what their opinion on or experience with the place is.