Portrait of Billy Joe

If you like Robert Duvall and especially the character he played in Tender Mercies, you'll love this movie. Duvall produced Portrait, and his very talented wife directed (forgive me for forgetting her name blame it on my getting older). Duvall did Tender Mercies years ago, before Billy Joe Shaver went through so much personal loss, and if I didn't know the timing, I would have thought the Duvall plot and character were based on Shaver. I got to see BJ Shaver and his band perform and meet him, and he is the "real deal," as Duvall says. Shaver makes all those pretty boys coming off the assembly line in Nashville look like amateurs and poseurs - the ones Alan Jackson sings about in "Gone Country." He isn't bitter or envious as far as I can tell, and he shouldn't be, since he is in a class with Willie Nelson, and in fact, Willie says Shaver is one of his favorite poets and writers. The pretty boys are the ones who are probably envious.

Willie Nelson calls Billy Joe Shaver the greatest songwriter alive, and Shaver's catalog of biographical tales backs up Nelson's claim. Shaver began his life on a low note and in his seventh decade is riding a high note. The in-between is part tragedy, part comedy, and all pathos. Pedraza nailed this portrait, providing a glimpse of Shaver's life and whetting the viewer's appetite for the entire photo album. The Billy Joe she caught on film is the 24/7 Billy Joe that his fans and friends admire for his faith, honesty, and immense talent. While the musical portions testify to Billy's songwriting/singing abilities, the best moments come when Billy talks to the camera about the events in his life that spurred the songs.

This is a fine portrait of Texas songwriter Billie Joe Shaver, a man who has lived a hard life and seems to have made peace with the various human tragedies that befell him. (He lost his son to a drug OD, and his wife to cancer.)

The 56-minute running time left me wanting more.

I'd have liked more live footage and maybe some archival information, but this hour-long documentary lets Billy Joe tell it himself from his heart.

Includes live performances of "Georgia On A Fast Train" and "I'm Just An Old Chunk Of Coal".

Highly, highly recommended.