Customer Reviews

The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

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4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

There are some people who will look at the documentary "The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" as a hysterically funny portrait of a true outlaw family. Indeed, I viewed this with a friend who thought we were watching a mockumentary fiction until about a third of the way through the picture. There is also a contingent of viewers who will see this as a sad document of our times--a glorification of corrupt values and a critique on what constitutes celebrity in the modern era. In truth, it is hard not to be amused AND disheartened by the outrageous and largely illegal antics of this notorious clan. As a sociological treatise, the Whites elicited similar conflicting opinions in me in much the same way that the infamous documentary "Grey Gardens" did many years ago. "Grey Gardens" chronicled former socialites, with a tie to the Kennedy presidency, whose life had devolved into an impoverished and co-dependent mess. But as much as you wanted to feel bad for them, its stars reveled in the new found attention and opened their lives to the cameras with an almost guileless innocence. Alternately heartbreaking and hysterical, I never have gotten a bead of exactly who was exploiting who in this scenario. The Whites are similarly camera ready--willing to let their bravado and bad acts represent who they are in every respect.

The Whites are an extended family from the back woods of West Virginia (but you're probably smart enough to have gotten that from the title!). The patriarch achieved some fame as a dancer and his legacy fell to his son Jesco (after two other sons were murdered and another moved away). Jesco became a local legend as The Dancing Outlaw and a dubious celebrity whose exploits have been chronicled in song by Hank Williams III and Big and Rich among others. This documentary puts both Jesco and his sister front and center with the rest of the clan as supporting characters. This familial tale is populated by drug use, infidelity, brawling, random acts of violence--even a face shooting for some added flavor. It's a bleak portrait to be sure, but the Whites embrace their worst instincts and mug to the cameras for comedic affect. They're proud of their reputation and legacy!

People acting a fool is certainly nothing new in entertainment, but "The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" is infused with an underlying hopelessness that grounds this real life horror show. As we see the next generation of children being bred into this life, it really is more sad than funny. Touching on global economic issues, government subsidies, education and legal systems--there are so many societal factors that have contributed to and perpetuated the White phenomenon. Aside from the one brother that moved away, the White family seem content with their lot in life. No one makes one step to change their circumstances (unless forced by the law to do so). The documentary, thus, becomes a fascinating look at the world that makes this possible, the type of people who embrace life outside the law, and the celebrity culture that seems to reward bad behavior. Funny and disturbing, the Whites will make you think--for good or bad, it's real! KGHarris, 2/11.

When it comes to the White family of Boone County, West Virginia, there's their world, and then there's the world everyone else is a part of. They don't live by the rules most other people live by. They have no respect for authority. Law enforcement has had more run-ins with them than with any other family in the county. They've broken just about every law and have been arrested on just about every charge: Larceny, prescription fraud, shootings, armed robbery, embezzlement, forgery, drug abuse, perjury, fighting, custody battles, etc., etc. A judge, who's now retired, used to say that if ten families were altogether excluded from Boone County, the crime rate would be cut by just about half; there's no question that the Whites would be one of those ten families.

Why would director Julian Nitzberg choose to document a year in the lives of such people? Defense Attorney Peter Hendricks seems to wonder the same thing: "There's a kid down here from a very humble upbringing - he was admitted to MIT. MIT. I mean, why isn't someone following him around with a camera?" He already knows the answer, and it seems to dishearten him: "The Whites have that kind of charisma. Not only can they draw you in - they keep you there." Indeed, most of us are innately attracted to that which is different. We may not always want to be a part of it, but we sure do love examining it from a distance. "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia" does what all good documentaries do: It gives us that safety, that sense of being an observer without having to risk our well being.

This is an honest, unflinching, and all around amazing film. It's not merely a portrait of an untraditional American family; it's a glimpse into the lives of people with an altogether different mindset. The Whites value nothing. They have no interests or goals, and while they generally seem to acknowledge the existence of God and the Devil, they have no real system of beliefs. They live only for immediate gratification, most of them freely indulging in drugs and alcohol and partying. They have an almost animalistic will to survive, occasionally from the outside world but mostly from each other, many of them having participated in violent domestic disputes. They make their money not by working, but by selling prescription pain pills at a slightly higher price than what they bought them for.

Theirs is a long line. It starts with D. Ray White, well known as a mountain dancer before his murder in 1985 at the hand of his daughter's husband. He was married to Bertie Mae White, known affectionately as the Miracle Woman for selflessly raising thirty-plus abandoned children in addition to her own. At her eighty-fourth birthday party, she holds her nose and shakes her head as her children and grandchildren smoke pot in front of her, apparently having a celebration of their own. "I'm eighty-four years old today," she muses, "and the computers and the drugs are gonna take over the world."

Her daughter is Mamie White, who proudly proclaims herself as "the biggest, meanest, and baddest of ALL the White family." Her sister is Sue Bob, a former stripper, whose son, Brandon, is in jail for almost having killed Mamie's boyfriend. Her brother is Jesco, who followed in his father's footsteps and became a mountain dancer. He was the subject of the 1991 PBS special "The Dancing Outlaw" and has a history of depression and other mental problems, possibly from ten years of sniffing gasoline. His mental turmoil is defined so clearly by the tattoo on his back; it's of two portraits, one of Elvis, the other of Charlie Manson, both representative of his conflicting personalities.

The most engaging family member is Bertie Mae's granddaughter, nicknamed Kirk. She does drugs. She loves to fight. She's been in jail so many times that she lost count. She had every intention of killing her ex-boyfriend when she found out he was sleeping with her cousin. Her young son, Taylor, hates her ex-boyfriend too, and lets us know this by flipping off the camera. Six months after the start of the interview, Kirk gives birth to a baby girl. Kirk says she wants her daughter to have a better life, which is something most mothers say. The baby is promptly taken away by Child Protective Services; if Kirk hopes to regain custody of her baby, she must enter rehab. This paves the way for a surprisingly touching apology to Taylor, who always feels he's being left behind.

Theories have been proposed as to why the Whites are the way they are. One is geographical and cultural isolation. Another ties into West Virginia's coal industry, notoriously exploited by wealthy outside interests. Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs there is; many West Virginian miners have seen friends and colleagues die in horrible accidents, instilling a pessimistic viewpoint that got passed from generation to generation. Interesting, how a psychological profile can sum up an entire population. Interesting still, how a West Virginian accepted by MIT is considered an exception to the rule, as if to suggest that West Virginians in general are lawless hillbilly rednecks with no hope of a future. Do the Whites represent the entire state? I don't know. But they certainly are fatalistic. "I come in this world with nothin'," says Mamie, "I guess I'll die with nothin'. But at least the world knows who we are."

My wife and I Pay-per-viewed this movie AFTER the kids went to bed, and we loved it! In lineage with Grant Wood's 1930 painting, filmmaker Julien Nitzberg's movie updates the classic American Gothic with a heavy dose of nihilism and a crushed oxycontin. The extended White family may be poster children for everything you think is wrong with everybody else. However, if you can refrain from passing righteous judgement, something every scene baits you to do, you may end up sympathizing with the White family's endless and seemingly self-induced tragedies. They are as much an extreme example of dysfunctional family dynamics as they are an ideal example of true family sovereignty. Nitzberg's humanist approach to what would seem an easy target for cheap reality-tv exploitation lifts this film up to a level of defining modern American prose. An Excellent movie!

This documentary really made me think hard about the words of one of the interviewees that said families like the Whites were a product of outside people and corporations coming into West Virginai and using the people and the resources (coal) there for their own profit (much like Africa was used by the European powers during the colonialism and imperialism ages). The corrupt companies where a young death were certain produced a group of people that were convined they had no future and nothing to live for, so they might as well live hard now and never worry about the consequences of their choices.

Now 2 and sometimes 3 generations later, we see the family that was a product of this exploitation, and what a sad family it is. I have been a huge fan of the Dancing Outlaw since I saw it in college 12 years ago. I was very excited to watch this follow up documentary. When I watched it, I felt the full range of emotions: from sadness, to hatred, to anger, to outrage. When I watched the pain in Kirk's son when she had to go away to rehab, I thought of my own young son and began to cry. I looked over at my wife and she was crying too. I don't think I have ever seen so much pent up rage, anger, and pain in any family.

I saw Jesco and Mamie live when they toured in my area recently. The only thing sadder than the movie was the live glimpse I saw. Jesco's mind is gone. There is nothing there. He is for all intents and purposes out of this world. He will not remember anything that happened that night. I left not entertained, but heart broken. I am still trying to figure out if the White's are being taken advantage of or trying to make the best of their situation. No matter what you decide, this movie is one very emotional and powerful look at a family that most of America will never get to see for themselves.

This is an absolute must. You will be rivited as you would be if you had witnessed the burning of the Hindenburg or the sinking of the Titanic in person. Your first reactions are shock and maybe amusement. Then you will probably experience sympathy and sadness as these folks deal with their tragic lives. Go; GO; GO!!! By all means go to see this movie. Buy or rent the DVD later.

I saw it with my family in L.A.; we couldn't stop talking about it for days. The incongruity of the dancing patriarch whose lineage has been manifested in drug-dealing, drug addicted, frightening, funny, irresponsible criminals who live off of our tax money and by their own rules is mesmerizing. I had a friend who went to a small college in Maryland and called the locals "rural grotesques", and this family fits that bill. Yet somehow you care about them.

The soundtrack is fantastic, the filming and editing seamless; it is soooo good. You really should buy it and help support independent film and artists. And, by the way, the dancing talent has been passed on too in this family.

WOW! Let me start off by saying I was floored by this documentary. I have been a fan of the original Dancing Outlaw videos since day one, but they do not hold a candle to this raw look into the real world of the White's family. The old videos were almost caddy and goofy, With a little bit of serious info. This video on the other hand actually does reveal what the family is really about. Its a very intimate, raw, no holds barred look into their world. The crew at DICKHOUSE know what they are doing. This documentary is very well put together and very entertaining. My hat's off to you DICKHOUSE. Thank you for putting out this video for the world to see. It's a masterpiece.

I am personally from West Virginia. I am angry to think that there are many people who will always think that this is who we are. There are many people in all rural states just like this, these ones just got lucky to be on TV. I personally become offended when people like this get to represent our fine state to the public.

That being said, I work in the courts. While I was saddened watching this, I still laughed my butt off. The burden they have caused on general society is untold. For what it is worth, this is not an independent filmmaker. The people who bring you Jackass, and other MTV delights made this movie. Johnny Knoxville and the like. You are just lining their pockets. So I get no satisfaction is helping straving artists by purchasing this.

As an entertaining movie it is no doubt one of a kind. I will buy it, to help me remember my life isnt so bad. They truly are a very sad people living a very sad existence.

You do owe it to yourself to buy The Dancing Outlaw. If you buy it, watch it first and then watch this movie. You wont be sorry.

I have been a Jesco White fan since Dancing Outlaw and was very excited when I heard this film was being made. It exceeded my expectations in every way, proving that documentaries can be more entertaining (and sometimes harder to believe) than mainstream Hollywood films. The first time I watched this dvd, I had to pause it several times to catch my breath and let things "sink in". Did I really just see and hear that? As unbelievably funny and entertaining as this is, don't think for a moment you won't also be sad and emotionally wrecked by what you witness at times. Good movies make you think and I can't stop thinking about the Whites.

The Dancing Outlaw.. and the Wild Wonderful Whites. Two pieces of non-stop entertainment that should be in everyone's collection. WWWofWV is shocking, hilarious, unbelievable, interesting, and leaves you wanting more. The Whites will have you saying, "you couldn't write this story!" Five stars! Thoroughly enjoyed!