Small Town Gay Bar
by Malcolm Ingram
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Charles Smith (XX), Fred Phelps, Jim Bishop (VIII), Justin Williams (VII), Rick GladishDirector: Malcolm Ingram
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 79 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-08-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Red Envelope Ent
Movie Reviews of Small Town Gay Bar
Movie Review: Incredibly Disingenuous
Summary: 1 Stars
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
Summary of Small Town Gay Bar
It's easy for city dwellers to take gay bars for granted, but Malcolm Ingram presents the other side of the picture. Social opportunities are more limited for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens in rural America. With production assistance from Kevin Smith, Ingram focuses on several communities in Mississippi. While some gay-themed documentaries are depressing and others inspiring, Small Town Gay Bar is a bit of both. Rick Gladis, for instance, owner of Rumors nightclub, created an oasis for the local GLBT community, but remains closeted from his Pentecostal parents. Scotty Weaver, on the other hand, was open about his orientation--and brutally murdered because of it (Ingram speaks with Weaver's family). As Gladis notes, "As far as being gay in Mississippi, it's hard, it's very hard." Proof comes in the form of Reverend Fred Phelps, who states categorically, "God hates fags." Other subjects include patrons, bartenders, drag performers, and strippers. In addition, Ingram looks back on bars that have closed over the years, which lends the film a nostalgic air, though he concludes with new beginnings for two of them. Small Town Gay Bar isn't as heart-wrenching as Paris Is Burning or For the Bible Tells Me So, which cover similar territory, but that doesn't make its voices any less valuable--and a soundtrack filled with alternative acts like the Hidden Cameras and Broken Social Scene is a nice touch. Extras include unbridled commentary from Ingram and chats with Smith and editor Scott Mosier. --Kathleen C. FennessyDeep in the heart of the Bible Belt, it is evident the fight for equal rights is far from over. Homosexuals in these areas lack social outlets, still face cruelty, ridicule and even violence. Despite being attacked on all sides by the Christian coalition, several spirited bar owners have created an oasis for gays to call home a Small Town Gay Bar. Executive Producer Kevin Smith presents an intimate portrait of these establishments and the patrons who inhabit them. Exploring the gratefulness the patrons feel for these various places we learn there is much more provided than a evening of entertainment.
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