Shut Up & Sing (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Barbara Kopple
Cecilia Peck

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Music

Tagline:

Freedom of speech is fine as long as you don't do it in public.

Plot:

A documentary on the Dixie Chicks in the wake of singer Natalie Maines' anti-George W. Bush statement at a 2003 concert.

Plot Keywords:

Music Producer | Songwriter | Sister Sister Relationship | Intolerance | Political

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Natalie Maines	...	Herself
Emily Robison	...	Herself
Martie Maguire	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clayton Allen	...	Himself
Billy B.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Paul Beane	...	Himself
Cindi Berger	...	Herself
Barbara Boxer	...	Herself (archive footage)
Aaron Brown	...	Himself (archive footage)
Pat Buchanan	...	Himself (archive footage)
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Randy Carroll	...	Himself
Dick Cheney	...	Himself (archive footage)
Anderson Cooper	...	Himself (archive footage)
Lewis Dickey	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dixie Chicks	...	Themselves
Rebecca Hagelin	...	Herself (archive footage)
Smokey Hormel	...	Himself (as Gregory 'Smokey' Hormel)
Darlene Kegan	...	Herself
Toby Keith	...	Himself (archive footage)
Rob Light	...	Himself
Eva Ruth Maguire	...	Herself
Gareth Maguire	...	Himself
Kathleen Emilie Maguire	...	Herself
Bill Maher	...	Himself (archive footage)
Lloyd Maines	...	Himself
Kidd Manning	...	Himself
John McCain	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Meglen	...	Himself
Bill O'Reilly	...	Himself (archive footage)
Adrian Pasdar	...	Himself
Jackson Slade Pasdar	...	Himself
Mindi Pelletier	...	Herself
Colin Powell	...	Himself (archive footage)
Robin Quivers	...	Herself (archive footage)
Simon Renshaw	...	Himself
Charlie Robison	...	Himself
Henry Benjamin Robison	...	Himself
Julianna Tex Robison	...	Herself
Charles Augustus Robsion	...	Himself
Rick Rubin	...	Himself
Donald Rumsfeld	...	Himself (archive footage)
Diane Sawyer	...	Herself (archive footage)
Jim Scott	...	Himself
Chad Smith	...	Himself
Gordon Smith	...	Himself (archive footage)
Howard Stern	...	Himself (archive footage)
Chris Testa	...	Himself
Richard Wilkins	...	Himself
Dan Wilson	...	Himself
E.J. Wojtowitz	...	Himself
Paula Zahn	...	Herself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (International: English title) (long title)
Shut Up and Sing (USA) (alternative spelling)
Untitled Dixie Chicks Documentary (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

93 min | Canada:99 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | USA:R (Adult language) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-3 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Cabin Creek Films

Trivia:

"Shut Up and Sing" is also the name of a best-selling book by conservative talk radio pundit Laura Ingraham. In her book, Ingraham skewers the Dixie Chicks and other musical acts who use their concerts and television appearances to voice their political opinions.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Natalie is wearing a shirt that states "Dare to Be Free," in one shot the image is mirrored left to right. Evident in the text and her hair are reversed.

Quotes:

Adrian Pasdar: Daddy plays lawyers. Look at me, do I look like a lawyer? It's the tie - it fools everyone.

Movie Connections:

Features "Anderson Cooper 360°" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Lubbock and Leave It

Smarter Than Michael Moore, Sexier Than Sandra Dee!

When I went to this movie, I wondered whether it would be as funny as SPINAL TAP or as insightful as FAHRENHEIT 9/11. What really shocked me was that it was more exciting than both movies. The Dixie Chicks come across as smarter than Michael Moore, funnier, kinder, and sexier too!

Unlike Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks are not angry or driven by rage. They don't need wacko conspiracy theories to bolster their position. This incredible true story mixes glamor, humor, great music and current events in a way that lets the facts speak for themselves. All you have to do is listen to George Bush talk and you understand Natalie's whole point of view without a word being said. But then you get to meet the Dixie Chicks themselves, and it's like love at first sight.

Watching the movie, you see three very beautiful women who love their families, their music, and each other. And you get the sense that Natalie Maines, for all her wholesome Sandra Dee looks (and her considerable sex appeal), is exactly the kind of strong-willed, independent minded hero that young people should be taught to admire. It's so refreshing to see that courage doesn't always mean fighting or shooting a gun! At times you really have to stop yourself and go -- hey, did she just say that?!? But in a good way. You see this dangerous radical snuggling into the cushions like a ten year old or lounging around like a trailer park diva, but then you listen to what she's saying and her courage is just overwhelming. And her wit is razor sharp! Watch the scene where she's teasing her manager and her band mates and she uses George Bush's "with us or against us" line to make them laugh and at the same time get her point across. No wonder she's the leader of this remarkable band!

But this isn't just Natalie's movie. If you watch Emily Robison, (she's the dark-eyed, quiet one, looks like Julia Roberts but more earthy and full of strength) it's impossible not to sense that while Natalie acts, Emily thinks. She's the introspective one, and the way the movie catches her thinking and analyzing makes for fascinating viewing. Even when she's in the midst of childbirth, you sense the way she steps back mentally to gain perspective and take stock of what it all means. She's also the one, I think, who is most willing to compromise and listen to other points of view. She's like Mr. Spock to Natalie's Captain Kirk, except both of them are wives and mothers, glamorous and nurturing, strong and feminine and they never for one moment let you forget it.

If I haven't said much about Martie McGuire in this review, it's only because she comes across as very shy and less inclined to put herself out there for the film process. But her playing and singing is really beautiful, and there's one scene at the very end of the movie that will just break your heart.

In the end, I have to say that this movie exceeded my expectations as entertainment, as art and journalism and as political commentary. I'm not a big country music fan, but I would definitely buy an album by the incredibly courageous and talented people who made this film.