Mule Skinner Blues

I am a movie addict and recently hit a wall with my massive DVD collection. It seemed that I had purchased every film worth owning. I realized this fact as I shopped Tower Records "going out of business" sale. Then I happened upon the Documentary section and realized that was a category I was lacking in. I bought every documentary that sounded interesting and "Mule Skinner Blues" was the best of the bunch. It's greatness lies in its ability to mix humor with genuine feeling. The movie shows compassion for it's low rent, trailer park dwelling characters instead of contempt. There is plenty of comedy in their drunken and eccentric behavior, but I'm sure the cast of real people are laughing along with the audience.

The film is highly stylized in the Errol Morris tradition of documentaries. It blends scenes of the film's subjects dancing on a surreal set, as well as scenes from other movies (Evil Dead 2, etc.)with actual interviews. The main "plot" is a man named Beanie and a guy named Larry Parrot writing and directing a movie about a vengeful ape-man creature and a guitar showdown between the devil and a man. It's all basically just a showcase to display some truly interesting people who live outside society's fringe. The lead guy could be Mark Borchardt from "American Movie" in 25 years. If you liked that movie, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well. The DUI video during the end credits is worth the rental price alone.

Some documentaries exist simply to tell a story...maybe to bring an obscure injustice into the light or to highlight the story of an unsung hero. Mule Skinner Blues wants you to "feel" the story. It's often-grainy visuals suck you into those murky backwater towns of rural Florida and leaves you feeling as grimy as the film footage itself. But this is its charm and allure. It's not just telling you the story of Beanie Andrew and his cast of lovable or sketchy characters; it's making you feel the stifling heat and sweat that came together to build their dream, the hardships of their falls, and the re-building of it all. It's that rare film that captures a slice of Americana made to feel genuine by the down and dirty work it takes to make a collective dream come true.

"Mule Skinner Blues" is a beautiful, messy, extravagant little documentary made about struggling dreamers by struggling dreamers for the struggling dreamer in all of us.

Go to any film festival that features genuine, undiscovered filmmakers, and you will find a few glamorous filmmakers who use $100 bills for facial tissue, along with hundreds of diehards who have spent all their money. and all the money anyone would give them or lend them, trying to put a little of the love and terror in their hearts on screen.

"Mule Skinner Blues," the song, is about a woman who is pleading for a chance to sing -- to a team of mules. To get away from the boredom and sadness in her life.

"Mule Skinner Blues" is about regular people in rural Florida -- not the richest, but not really the poorest -- who want to sing, write scripts, design costumes, make a horror film, etc. -- to find some way to rise above the pain in their lives, and turn both the pain AND the joy in their hearts into art.

The people in the film talk wistfully about becoming famous, but they're a lot more interesting than the typical twentysomething would-be artiste in the big city, or the typical established artist. First, because they live in a spectacularly beautiful part of northern Jacksonville (even if you DON'T feel the terror, you WILL feel the urge to move into a trailer park); they're older and have better war stories; they have a sense of humor; and, because they're so far from the big money, they're just more real.

When they screw up, they can't fall back on trust funds or Mommy or Daddy. They don't have trust funds, and, for the most part, they don't have living parents. If they have living parents, chances are they're the ones feeding the parents.

If you see the film and come away saying, "Those people are not all that different from the people who made 'Mule Skinner Blues,' or the people back in my neighborhood who have a garage band. Or the old ladies who get together for a quilting club," well, yes. What exactly is wrong with that?????

Unlike a lot of people who reviewed this film and seem to think it's a crime to look at the lives of people who aren't doing all that well, I enjoyed Mule Skinner Blues and enjoyed these people. True, Beanie was a little annoying and his story got old quickly, but there are some no BS moments where we really get a contrast from the times that he is overly, "on." His description of falling into the depths of alcoholism is enough to scare you sober. Steve and Miss Jeannie are truly interesting characters and I loved "DUI Blues." I think that a bit more time could have been spent on exploring their artistry and a little bit less should have been spent on the making and premiere of Turnabout is Fairplay (sic).

It is likely that the majority of Americans who see this film will quickly label the people profiled within "losers", quickly denying any self-recognition. It is unfortunate that the current American psyche does not seem to find true value in love, friendship, camaraderie, non-commercial creativity of any kind, whether it be music, art, authorship, fashion design, hobbies, because it is quite obvious to me, at this stage in my life, that the "ol' mighty dollar" is not the only thing of value in it. The people featured in this film are multi-faceted, fascinating, and basically tender, loving and LOVABLE. Watching it made me wish for inner peace for them, as well as all Americans, so that they have the emotional freedom to appreciate the "treasures" they have all around them every day of their lives.