The Death of Dick Long

This movie was inspired by an actual event that took place, not in Alabama, but in Enumclaw, Washington. (Should you want to see this documentary, it's called "Zoo.") Billy Chew apparently thought Alabama, which itself has been the location of lots of strange activity, would be a funnier place for the film.

My family is from Alabama, as is Daniel Scheinert, the director of the film. Some of them would think the movie is hilarious, and recognize themselves in the relationships between the slacker men and smart wives, the families that are all about church but get high on the weekend, the laconic, knowing cops, the impossibility of keeping a secret in a small town, and a culture built around family and kids. They all ring true to me.

The movie is very dark comedy about the misadventures of three buddies who get too drunk at band practice and do some stupid things. One of them ends up dead. Just how drunk they get and how stupid they get is teased out during the movie.

During the process, the story explores the loving connections the buddies have to their families, and the weight that the solution to the death has on the sheriff.

It's a good movie, but not for everyone,