Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing

The film shows the band's reaction to the open hostility, political and corporate backlash, and physical threats directed at the group. The band did not expect such a strong reaction, and they are unsure if they should "shut up and sing", apologize, or stand by their convictions and let more sparks fly.

The film follows the day-to-day life of the Chicks. It shows them with their husbands and their children, at home in Texas and in the recording studio in Los Angeles, getting their hair and makeup done before appearances, exchanging ribald remarks with each other, writing song lyrics and working on musical arrangements. Simon Renshaw, the group's longtime manager, is the focus of many scenes as he attempts to guide the Chicks through the vicissitudes of the music industry.

The title of the film is a lyric from the Dixie Chicks' 2006 post-controversy single "

The song, "Not Ready to Make Nice" includes a reference to that very real death threat:

And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Saying that I better
shut up and sing or my life will be over?!

Cast

• Martie Maguire as herself
• Natalie Maines as herself
• Emily Robison
  as herself
• Adrian Pasdar as himself
• Rick Rubin as himself
• Pat Buchanan as himself (footage)
• Barbara Boxer as herself (footage)
• George W. Bush as himself (footage)
• Anderson Cooper as himself (footage)
• Dan Wilson as himself
• Paul Beane as himself
• Cindi Berger as herself
• Simon Renshaw as himself
• Gareth Maguire as himself

Release dates

• Canada September 12, 2006 (Toronto International Film Festival – world premiere)
• San Sebastián International Film Festival
  )
• United States September 30, 2006 (Aspen Film Festival)
  • October 15, 2006 (Woodstock Film Festival)
  • October 19, 2006 (Austin Film Festival)
  • October 27, 2006 (limited release)
  • November 10, 2006 (wide release)
• Italy October 17, 2006 (Rome Film Fest)
• London Film Festival
  )
  • June 29, 2007
• Greece March 16, 2007 (Thessaloniki Documentaries Festival)
  • April 26, 2007 (limited)
• Netherlands March 29, 2007
• Australia June 15, 2007 (Sydney Film Festival)
• Germany August 9, 2007
• South Korea August 11, 2007 (Jecheon International Music & Film Festival)
  • October 3, 2007
• Belgium August 15, 2007

Television advertisements

In October 2006, the film's distributor, The Weinstein Company, announced that NBC had refused to air the TV advertisements for the film, stating that it was following a "policy of not broadcasting ads that deal with issues of public controversy". NBC publicly acknowledged the decision but claimed that it was willing to work with Weinstein to find an acceptable alternative.^[9] At the same time, the distributor also claimed that The CW had refused to air these advertisements, citing "concerns we do not have appropriate programming in which to schedule this spot". That network later said its statement was merely an opinion on whether its target audience would respond to the ad, and that it would have accepted the ads if Weinstein had actually bought commercial time.^[10]

At the time,

• Total domestic gross: US$1,215,045 (Estimate).[12]

Reviews

Critical reaction to the film has been positive overall. It currently holds an 89% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads: "Though ostensibly an intimate look at the Dixie Chicks after their 2003 anti-Bush remark, the film achieves broader relevance by exploring how media, politics, and celebrities intertwine."^[13]

Shut Up and Sing has received positive reviews from major American publications such as

• Aspen Film Festival:
  • Audience Award - Favorite Documentary
• Boston Film Critics:
  • Best Documentary Feature
• Broadcast Film Critics:
  • Best Documentary Feature
  • Best Song ("The Neighbor")
• Chicago International Film Festival:
  • Special Jury Prize
• Online Film Critics:
  • Best Documentary Feature
• San Diego Film Critics:
  • Best Non-Fiction Film
• Southeastern Film Critics:
  • Wyatt Award for the film that best captures the "spirit of the South" (won)
• Woodstock Film Festival:
  • Audience Award - Best Documentary Feature
• Sydney Film Festival:
  • Audience Award - Documentary Category

Poster

The theatrical poster of the film borrowed a picture of the band from a memorable Entertainment Weekly cover, in which they are featured in the nude, with their privates cleverly hidden. On the U.S. version of the poster, however, the "nudity" was edited out and towels are seen over their nude bodies. The writings, which were originally on their bodies, were transferred to the towels. The Canadian poster used the original photo, with no towels added.^[28]

The original photograph included the words "Dixie Sluts" but for the promotional poster, a more demure "Dixie Bimbos" replaced the message on Emily Robison's arm.

Rating

The documentary received an

The DVD of the film was released on February 20, 2007,^[30] and the UK in September 2007. On September 9, 2007, it ranked at #2 in the UK Top 20 DVD Chart.

References