Shut Up and Sing
Directed by: Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck
Starring: The Dixie Chicks, Simon Renshaw, Rick Rubin

In March of 2003, The Dixie Chicks kicked off their latest world tour at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire theatre in London, England. Like just about everyone else in the world at the time, they were pre-occupied with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and on stage in between songs lead singer Natalie Maines happened to make an off-hand comment expressing her disapproval:”Just so you know, we’re ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas”. Little did she know, this simple joke would be picked up and amplified a thousand times over, turning them into three of the most despised women in the United States, and sending their careers (and as a result, their lives) into some serious turbulence.

This documentary covers the insane backlash that resulted from one musician voicing her opinion in a public venue. I’m not a fan of the Dixie Chicks, and to be honest, hadn’t even really heard any of their music before this, but ultimately my musical taste was irrelevant to my enjoyment of this film. Shut Up & Sing is about so much more than just a country band; it poses all kinds of questions about freedom of speech, sensationalism in the media, and the intersection between business, art and politics. At the same time, it’s also an intimate portrait of what these women went through, how they dealt with the fallout and how they were able to essentially go it alone and keep their careers on course.

Directors Barbara Kopple (Harlan County USA, American Dream) and Cecilia Peck bounce back and forth between footage captured on that ill-fated tour, both on-stage and off, and the time spent recording their follow-up album, life at home and on the road with their families, and business meetings aimed at repositioning the band in the best way possible. It really covers a lot of ground, and I was amazed at not only the amount of footage they had to work with, but also the intimacy of it all. We even get to see the birth of Martie Maguire’s twins.

But don’t worry, it’s not all lovey-dovey, cute and cuddly stuff; as a matter of fact, some parts of the film are pretty shocking. The first-hand images of public outrage make it clear that a lot of people weren’t thinking clearly then (many still aren’t). I’m sure people were dealing with strong post-9/11 feelings, but in hindsight it’s insane to see such a big deal being made out of something that seemed so innocuous. By far the most moving part of the movie is the show in Dallas where the band had received death threats beforehand. Seeing them march out on stage, knowing full well that they could potentially be shot for this was a pretty surreal thing to watch. If that doesn’t earn The Dixie Chicks the title of being brave, then I don’t know what does.

I think what I like most about Shut Up & Sing is that it doesn’t really make The Dixie Chicks out to be full-blown heroes. Sure, it definitely paints them in a positive light, and could be seen by some as a thinly veiled extension of their damage control campaign, but I think the movie was put together in a very honest and non-manipulative way. Simply put, it shows them as being unafraid to stay true to themselves. They aren’t necessarily noble crusaders for freedom of speech, and they aren’t completely innocent victims here either. They also don’t attempt to hide the business side of things; the movie does not claim that The Dixie Chicks are pure and uncompromising artists. They are willing to make compromises if it can save their careers, but they draw the line at apologizing to all of their critics.

Many times while watching this I was reminded of the excellent documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, in the sense that we get an incredibly privileged look behind the scenes of one of biggest bands in the world. (The difference of course, is that the stars of this movie are a well-adjusted band of women with tight-knit bonds instead of a bunch of childish and temperamental egomaniacs.) The other movie I was most reminded of was Jesus Camp; this is yet another indicator of the dangerous gap that is widening between extreme right-wing conservatives and the rest of America.

Now I’m sure most Dixie Chicks fans will already be on board with this movie 100%, and will enjoy it on a higher level than I could ever hope to, but for the rest of us I want to make it clear that this movie goes far beyond country music. Barbara Kopple is a two-time Oscar-winner, and she is obviously not interested in making a fluff piece about the flavour of the month. What she is interested in, however, is capturing a particularly significant and tumultuous event that reflects the time we live in, and even now resonates with us. Shut Up & Sing is not dry or preachy, but rather it is tight, focused, and a lot more fun than you’d probably expect. This is a documentary that everyone can and should watch, and my only complaint is that I wish the DVD had some bonus features on it to help round out the experience. — Sean