I must admit I was apprehensive about going into a documentary about the Dixie Chicks, despite highly revered Kopple's authorship. I was pleasantly surprised. The piece is vastly more complex than the generic bio-pic I feared. "Shut Up and Sing" turns out to be a deep exploration into what constitutes a star in America, and what roles such figures are allowed to play. The country/pop phenomena evoke such rage from their audience so fast, it is truly mind-boggling, all over a single comment.
My only complaint is one I wage against most feature-length documentaries. After the hour and ten minute mark, they begin to drag. The film, in my opinion, would do better by sticking to the hour marker. A tighter, more lean film would get the point across stronger, show off Kopple's skill even more, and most importantly, not be so damn repetitive.
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