Customer Reviews

Small Town Gay Bar

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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

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.

Malcolm Ingram's Small Town Gay Bar is one of those rare documentaries that honestly makes you think and it allows its viewers to see a different aspect of their world without beating them over the head with politics.

The rare gay bar in rural bible belt Mississippi has become a haven for the gay community which is often persecuted for their lifestyle. The film focuses on two small communities Meridian and Shannon, Mississippi.

Shannon, Mississippi was home to Rumors a small bar owned and run by Rick Gladish. Rumors was people friendly and all inclusive. one gets the picture that all were welcome at this bar. We meet patrons, performers and family members who saw this bar as a light in the darkness in the small town. Rumors was a place where you could be yourself without fear of reprisal if you could just get into the confines of the bar. In short it was a place where all felt welcome.

Meridian is a larger city. It is the home of Fred Phelps. Phelps for want of a better description is a hell fire and damnation preacher who is actively and rabidly anti gay. Meridian was also the home to Crossroads, a bar where anything was possible. Crossroads drew a diverse crowd and often became a freakshow but yet was a place of inclusiveness. The bar closed after its owner had a run in with the police.

We see the rampant homophobia of small town life but also much more. The viewer is shown a world that he often does not see. The bar is a place where anyone can belong: it acts as an outlet and a safe haven in a world that is not always fair and just.

This is an excellent documentary that is worth checking out.

It's easy for us who don't live in the Bible belt to think that a majority of gays have become ensconced in San Francisco or New York and that for all Mississippi threw at the nation during the 1960s civil right's movement, the new generation of hatred is not blacks, but gays. This documentary showcases the continuing hatred toward gays while at the same time it reveals the warmth of the individuals who drive dozens of miles to be in a place of freedom...namely the few gay bars in Mississippi.

"Small Town Gay Bar" is a compilation of personal testaments. "It's hard", they say, "but we survive". Survival is the key word when you look at the injustices done to the brave men and women who have tried to make a go of it and stayed. Harrassment, arson, condemnation from those who ought to be condemned themselves.....if you want to see it all, it's here. It's Disneyland in reverse.

This is an important film because it reminds us that today, and not just in Mississippi, intolerance is still the practice of so many. But Mississippi is a good place to start to correct things and maybe a follow-up documentary a few years down the road will show something in a different light. I highly recommend "Small Town Gay Bar" for its honesty and courage.

This documentary sheds some light on what it's like to be gay and living in a small town in the United States. I would give it 3.5 stars if I could - the concept is interesting but the execution here gets a bit repetitious. It combines interviews with people familiar with some select gay bars in the South, interviews with members of a couple anti-gay groups, and the story of a Scotty Weaver, a young gay man who was murdered in a hate crime. What is it like to live somewhere you don't fit in with the majority?

The interviews include bar owners and patrons focusing on two bars in rural Mississippi, Rumors and Different Seasons (formerly Crossroads); also mentioned is a third bar which was burned down by its owner when operating it became too difficult. These bars basically operate as havens for the gays, lesbians, and bisexuals who live in parts of the country where being "out" can be dangerous. In public they can often face ridicule, violence, and other types of discrimination if their sexual orientation is known; however, in these bars they are free to be themselves without fear. Those living in big cities such as New York and San Francisco these days often take their freedom for granted. In other parts of the country, including the South, things haven't changed all that much.

To get an idea of some of the discrimination faced by these people, the leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church and American Family Association are interviewed. Westboro Baptist Church, even as viewed by most other Christian groups, is very radical. This is the group who protest at U.S. solder funerals holding signs proclaiming how God hates gays and that the U.S. deserved the 9/11 attack (yes, really). Their leader Fred Phelps is interviewed and he provides his own thoughts on God and the gay community. American Family Association is another Christian group which actively speaks out against the gay community, if not quite as viciously as Westboro. Part of the movie focuses on Scotty Weaver, a young gay man who was murdered in rural Alabama. Scotty's mother and brother are both interviewed. His case further highlights the danger of being outwardly gay in some towns.

All-in-all the documentary is solid and it's interesting to see what these people still go through today; however, the interviews tend to get a bit repetitive at times. The patrons and owners of Rumors and Different Seasons all express in similar terms how much they value the bars. However, some extras on the DVD are more varied and worth watching. One is a group discussion with gays and lesbians which offers additional insight into what it's like living and growing up gay in these areas. This fairly lengthy segment provides more interpersonal interaction that feels more genuine than many of the interviews. Probably the most fun extras are two clips showing the director, Malcolm Ingram, and executive producer Kevin Smith. The two friends joke about how Smith - whose brother is gay - got involved in the project and his interactions with the gay community.

Gays and lesbians in small towns across the country still deal with persecution. This documentary does a decent job of portraying this and how the few gay bars act as safe havens where they can find like-minded individuals and feel free to be themselves. It provides some interesting viewing, but I can't imagine rewatching it aside from showing it to someone who hasn't seen it before.

Small Town Gay Bar attempts to put a twist on America's current obsession with sexual identity by examining gays and lesbians who live in the rural South. STGB examines two gay bars in Mississippi and focuses on a gay Alabama teen who was murdered in a hate crime.

The most interesting aspect of STGB is its people. The stereotype, of course, is that gays tend to live in major cities. In STGB we hear from gays who were born in the rural south and consider it to be their home. These men and women struggle to accept themselves in a society that often refuses to accept them. The owner of a gay bar near Tupelo, Mississippi, for instance, is not out of the closet with his own parents. There is plenty of human drama in STGB.

Another interesting aspect of the film is that Tupelo is home to Donald Wildmon's anti-gay American Family Association. Many of the gays speak of problems that they have had with the Wildmon family. Some of the gays state that, at one time, Wildmon's followers would write down the license tag numbers of anyone who ventured into the gay bar and would read the tag numbers on the radio.

While I think that STGB is well worth watching, it is not a perfect film. The "draw" for most viewers will be the fact that the filmmakers attempt to look at gay life outside of the major cities. To the extent that the filmmakers stick to this subject, STGB is a success. The film also includes a lot of material that has been covered in numerous other books and movies pertaining to gays and lesbians; this material has a redundant feel to it.

Another problem with the film is that it was shot in dark bars with poor lighting; granted, there was not much the filmmakers could do about it, but the poor lighting detracts from the film.

On the whole, STGB is an interesting film that takes a unique perspective on a "hot" topic.

I grew up in Chicago, but early in my journalism career I spent some time in the wilds of the Bible Belt, and so this film had resonance for me. It is about extraordinarily brave people who come together to be who they are even in an environment in which that can be a dangerous thing to do. It is also about the families and friends of these extraordinarily brave people, who sometimes have to have a real struggle with themselves before they remember that families love their own and that Christianity is not about hate. My blood pressure got some excellent exercise when the filmmakers showed a considerable amount of Fred Phelps, who is surely one of the most evil men in the world today. I had to restrain myself from throwing things at the television screen. The film is not as slickly produced as some, but it is an important contribution to visual and oral history for the GLBT community in America. I commend the filmmakers and recommend the film to others.

After spending half an hour examining Rumors, a gay bar located outside Tupelo, Mississippi, SMALL TOWN GAY BAR shifts focus to the murder of Scotty Weaver in Bay Minette in order to demonstrate the risks run by the interview subjects. But there is a problem here. Bay Minette isn't near Tupelo, as the film implies. It isn't even in the same state. It is actually about three hundred miles away in coastal Alabama.

Director Malcom Ingram doesn't exactly rush to point out this fact, nor does he bother to mention that while Bay Minette itself is little more than a wide spot in the road, it is actually about two deep breaths away from the major metro area of Mobile, Alabama--which has a noticeable gay community, quite a few gay bars, and even a congregation of Metropolitan Community Church. If Ingram is disingenuous on these points, one has to ask if he is on others as well.

Speaking as someone who was born, raised, and continues to live in Mississippi, I have to say that I find most of SMALL TOWN GAY BAR a lot of hooey. Neither Meridian nor Tupelo, the communities upon which Ingram focuses, are as rural, small, or as isolated as he would have you imagine, and gay bars are indeed more common in the state than the film implies. That said, Ingram rather blithely ignores the fact that the absence of a gay bar does not mean an absence of a gay community, and in doing so he demonstrates a rather profound ignorance of southern culture, which tends to hold those who frequent bars--be they gay or straight--in low esteem.

SMALL TOWN GAY BAR is, in my opinion, an instance in which a film maker came to his subject with a personal agenda in hand and then proceeded to film the agenda. Do gays and lesbians living in rural Mississippi face major, sometimes frightening challenges? You bet they do--but that's no excuse for fiddling with reality to such a degree. The DVD includes a commentary track and a number of deleted scenes, but I found the feature film itself so ridiculous that I didn't waste any time on them.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

In depth, intriquing look at a minority population lives within a very conservative area. It is a great documentary that looks into a small town and how the gay culture is attempting to thrive in a Bible-beating town. It is a small-budget film but the interviews and looks into the area are interesting and well-done.