Product Details

• Actors: Jim Bishop
• Directors: Malcolm Ingram
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: August 7, 2007
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002SAMMLK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,900 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Small Town Gay Bar" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

SMALL TOWN GAY BAR - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine look at gay life in small town, rural America, August 3, 2007

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Small Town Gay Bar gives us a rare look at gay life in small town rural America. We see gay people struggling to make friendships and social networks in two towns in rural Mississippi, the heart of the Bible belt. The stories they tell will touch you with their honesty; and at times the price these gay people pay for being gay is remarkably and shamefully high.

The movie focuses on two gay bars and the people who patronize them. Although straight people are welcome, most conservative straight people in these towns don't appear to be comfortable enough to go into either of the two bars in their respective towns. We also get some of the history of other gay bars that have come and gone in the past.

I liked the stories of the patrons in particular. Just as people have already noted, the gay bar in this region of the country serves as a safe haven, a place where once they get in the door no one can harm them. Unfortunately, sometimes just getting in and out the door can be a huge hassle--we hear stories of how right wing religious groups take down automobile license plate numbers of the patrons and read them aloud on the radio the next morning; and there are gay bashings left and right. It amazes me that these gay people don't throw up their arms in exasperation and move to a big city!

One especially troublesome story is that of a young man who was killed because three other young kids his age thought he was gay. We also get an interview with a Reverend whose bigotry and hatred for gays becomes crystal clear by the language he uses to describe gays and their lifestyle.

Nevertheless, these people persevere against incredible odds. Toward the end of the film we see a lesbian couple purchase an old run down property in order to make it into a gay bar once again. They succeed! Good for them.

Unfortunately, this is a very low budget film. The cinematography is not anything special; and I get the feeling that the producers had very little money to spend. They could have included more interviews with gays in the film rather than putting that footage into the extras section. Unfortunately I have to take off one star for that to make this a four star review. On the other hand, I suppose it's all the more to their credit that the film still gets its message across--and made it to the Sundance festival at the same time. Congratulations to them!

I know it appears that I have given away everything--but I haven't. Rest assured that if you wish to get this informative documentary you will get more information and still more touching, real life stories than I related here. The DVD comes with a plethora of bonuses as well.

Overall, this documentary serves the important purpose of accurately depicting gay life in small town America with all the risks and rewards that this lifestyle entails. While we see violence against gays, we also see happier stories of friendships formed and true love blossoming that send out a message of optimism and hope for the future. I certainly would like to be hopeful for their future myself.

I highly recommend this documentary for gay people and their friends; and anyone who wants to study this topic for any reason would do well to get this film and pay close attention.

Good job!

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and touching film for any audience, July 15, 2007

By 

Bina "yes, that Bina" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

I was lucky enough to see this film last summer when it made the LGBT film festival circuit, and even got to meet the filmmaker. This is a brilliant piece of documentary film making. Clever, evocative, great subjects (the stories about the fights they used to have out in the woods - Marines vs. trannies - you will laugh for days) and crisply edited. This is an entertaining and educational look at what life for gay Americans can be like in thousands of little towns making up that large expanse of land between New York and Los Angeles.

There is a product image available now. You can visit the film on MySpace to see it, here: http://www.myspace.com/smalltowngaybar

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality Bites, November 29, 2007

By 

Olukayode Balogun (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews

Director Malcolm Ingram and executive producer Kevin Smith - he who wrote and directed the 1997 straight man wants gay woman Ben Affleck vehicle "Chasing Amy" - have a well-put together, engrossing and very informative little documentary here. It tells of the difficulties faced by LGBT people living in north east Mississippi and the action focuses mainly on two bars; Rumors in Shannon and Crossroads in Meridien.

I don't want to give too much away but we are also introduced to the Reverend Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church, who runs a psychotic organisation called "God Hates Fags". I'd already met him and his cohorts via a BBC documentary I saw last year sometime. Maybe psychotic is too strong a word but his homophobia is definitely affecting his mental health. One of his theories, for instance is that God hates America because America is too tolerant of gays and this is why God punished America by inflicting on it the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I think people who've lost their grasp on reality are called psychotics but I'm not 100% sure.

Then there's Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association who manages to find the time with his band of merry men, to camp outside gay bars writing down car number plates and then broadcasting them over the radio.

We also get to hear, sadly and briefly, about 18 year old Scotty Weaver, who was murdered simply for being gay in July 2004.

So it would seem that even in this day and age and in certain parts of a country as ostensibly civilised at the United States of America, it's still incredibly difficult to be gay. This documentary is no barrel of laughs (the friend I was watching it with had to leave the room half way through) but it's not all doom and gloom and it does carry a powerful message. Personally, I was in awe at the strength and courage of the people featured. How they were able to get on with their lives in the face of such virulent homophobia with smiles, wry humour and a complete lack of malice towards their oppressors was completely beyond the realms of my comprehension. I never felt pity for these folks - that would just be insulting - but I have to admit that a few minutes into the movie, I was already feeling somewhat relieved that I didn't live where they did and that when the time came for me to live my life as a young gay man, I was able to do it in the relatively safe, secure, accepting and facilitating setting of a city like London, England.

But by the end of the movie, I actually envied them. As Lum Weaver, the brother of murdered Scotty lets us know, adversity does bring out strength in people. The situation faced by the LGBT folks of north east Mississippi has only succeeded in making them more determined to exercise their rights and live their lives the way they want to. Ultimately, the bars featured in this movie, some of them still running, others not, ended up providing the kind of spaces I wish I'd had the opportunity to experience - communities within communities where people are able to have fun, hang out with friends, have a drink, meet new people and find dates or whatever, but are able to do what they want to do in environments that are warm, welcoming, supportive and loving. In an odd and totally unexpected way, I ended up feeling like they were the lucky ones. This is a fantastic piece of documentary filmmaking. It has a great soundtrack too, by the way.

Bonus features include: A hilarious introduction with the director and executive producer (Kevin Smith is heterosexual but apparently has a fascination for all things homosexual), deleted scenes (including a really interesting one with a dude named Willie Washington) and conversations with the folks of Tupelo, Mississippi.