The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

I kept thinking while watching The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, what would my initial reaction to this film be if I saw it a few years ago? I had a totally different outlook on life, and thought, if it's not like me it's clearly not right. When I watched the 2003 drama Party Monster, I reflected on the same thing I'm reflecting on now. Just because one's way of life is different, doesn't make it wrong.

If the White family in this film is happy living the way they are, go ahead. I don't approve of it, but I'm mature enough to respect it. The film focuses on a famous outlaw family living in Boone County, West Virginia where lawlessness, shootouts, drugs, and rowdy-behavior isn't uncommon. It's not like the suburbs or the city, it's worse. Way worse.

There are a number of characters in the White family. The most famous is D. Ray White's son Jesco White, a tap dancer who was the subject of the film The Dancing Outlaw. We see Mamie White as well, my favorite character, who is oldest daughter of the deceased outlaw D. Ray White. Mamie introduces some of the deceased members of the White family at the beginning of the film so we're brought up to speed.

So many other characters are introduced as well like Sue Bob White, another daughter of D. Ray White who is trying to cope with her son's possible jail sentence. We also get the cousins/grandchildren of D. Ray White like Kirk White, a woman fighting to be clean and see her newly born child. All I can say is that this family is checkered and free as a bird.

There is almost no discipline in their household. Everyone acts like a grown child, and no one thinks or even cares about the consequences of their actions. Nobody ever stops and thinks "why, or what?" They just do. Country musician Hank Williams III claims in an interview the reason the Whites, and many other people residing in Boone County are so crazy is because they all had something happen in their lives that was enough to scar them and just have a more rowdy look on life.

Hank Williams III plays a big role in the White's life. He is almost like a saint or a God in them. They love his music. They dance to it, sing along to it, and pretty much rock out to it. I, myself, am a big Hank Williams III fan because I love his southern sound, and feel he is one of the few true country musicians around now. He is truly one of the best singers in the genre today.

This is the kind of film that is odd, wacky, witty, dark, raunchy, and sometimes disgraceful, but you can't look away. You have to watch these people take life head on, not caring about the consequences. Truly, they are careless. Even when one of the Whites goes to rehab, you feel she is obligated to go rather than she wants to. She would much rather party-hardy, but instead must do the right thing.

Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine serve as producers of this project. There is a sense of their Jackass style here. Every cut seems like it's missing "Hi, I'm "so-and-so" White and this is how we inhale fumes!" I like the style, and it's good to see there is a different direction stemming from the Jackass boys.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia is one of those documentaries that is not filled with morals. The message is basic; "we do what we want, when we want, accept the consequences, whatever they me, and we embrace the fun we are about to have." I respect it, but still, am sort of disgusted by their way of life. It's interesting and unique, but they keep saying they want their kids to have a better life when they do nothing to put them on the right track.

But them again, I'm a suburban boy. It's not like they care what I think. They're out having fun, and living life. How can we yell at them for that? Starring: The White Family. Directed by: Julien Nitzberg.

I first scanned by this movie while staying at a hotel. At first while channel flipping I thought it was a bad episode of cops. Only after further viewing did I realize it was much much worse.... and better.

Although the documentary format leaves something to be desired, the subjects fill the time with their crazy lifestyles. No real way to describe the documentary.

One strange phenomenon is that the young kids are much smarter than the adults. The adults have fried their brains on drugs for so many years that some of them can barely talk.

Check it out.

"They took her baby. Prolly cause they found drugs in it."

It is a candid and intimate documentation of what can easily be termed a hillbilly family. If many families look deep enough into their ancestry right now, they will see that many have roots back into those very hills, however many families moved on to bigger and better pastures.

The whites have stayed and have made a name for themselves in town and the surrounding areas. You are immediately pulled in to watch what happens next to each family member, and it helps that the movie provides a family tree so you can see who is connected to the next branch. A little upsetting to see such extensive drug use by certain family members at specific time periods.

This movie allows you to laugh and point fingers without feeling much guilt. And on another level it allows you to clearly see how dysfunction and addiction moves from one generation to the next. Kind of makes you think the only way to break that cycle is to completely up and move a person to a whole other area breaking ties.

A very real family shown with warts and all, it also includes tender moments and fun times.

I waited a while before seeing this film because I thought it might be exactly what it was. A documentation of the sort of people I grew up around in central Missouri. While many people who have not grown up in such areas may believe that the Whites are not a significant part of the population, unfortunately many rural communities especially Southern rural areas of America produce tons of folks like the Whites.

Even those who break away from this sort of dysfunctional rural white trash lifestyle often merely become Bible thumping, intolerant leaders in the community who still do not know or understand history, art or the value of education.

It is the extremely poor schools, glorification of anti-intellectualism and Fundamentalist Christianity that produce these people generation after generation. It is these types of folks that build the base of small town American Republicans. It is not surprising that statements made by Michele Bachmann could easily sound like things said by any of the Whites. It is no accident that Hank Williams Jr said the ignorant stuff he did about playing golf with Obama and that his son is hanging out with the White family.

You can see similar homes of VERY similar people in central Missouri http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avq3-lBgyzs or my longer version at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTKWqKTGwTg

This is why I STRONGLY advocate a lot more funding of rural schools especially in the Midwest and the South. The increased funding should also include a great deal of Federal oversight of the schools and long term counseling to help the next few generations climb out of this ignorant and intolerant lifestyle of destruction.

Some of these folks seem chill, some seem a little off, some I wouldn't let myself get caught alone with.

Basically, like any family, except they do illegal things and have mountain folk accents so its shocking I guess.

I won't make a case here for drug dealing, violent crimes against creepy uncles, or sex work, only because most here don't come here because they care about this but rather because they want to laugh.

Well from the technical standpoint, its OK. It gets the job done. We all know films like this are made for those sleazy types that like to watch poor people go through hell so they can hate them, so there isn't much more to say.

If you been through sh-t and like to see people who go through sh-t talk about their lives, this film is quite a ride.

If you have never had to do sketchy sh-t to survive because you had no other options, and are proud of it, don't bother, go watch catfish or something as reprehensible.