Movie Review - Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing

I knew nothing of the Dixie Chicks before the infamous 2003 remark because I don't listen to country music so watching the documentary didn't really tread over familiar territory. However, the film very effectively chronicled their fall and rise back to the top of the charts. You sense that the Dixie Chicks weren't very political but Natalie Maines had her reservations about going to war and just decided to speak her mind that day. What followed was something they would never had expected and in retrospect almost silly. But the ladies held their ground and were quite resilient as it turned out. I'm sure going through the experience must have toughened them up quite a bit.

But this is an extraordinary documentary by renowned filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Masterfully edited, the film combines footage the band made for its Web site and footage shot by Kopple over the last two years. The filmmakers are clearly in awe of the Chicks' fighting spirit. If you think Maines's original Bush remark was disrespectful, wait till you hear what she calls him here. Maines is not ready to make nice, and neither is this riveting documentary.