Coming to PBS’s American Masters and to DVD today, Friday, March 4: LORETTA LYNN: STILL A MOUNTAIN GIRL
Vikram Jayanti’s tribute to the Queen of Country Music makes its world premiere on the long-running public television series, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this season. The doc debuts in conjunction with the release of Lynn’s Full Circle, her first new studio album in more than a decade, which is shown being recorded here, in part.
Jayanti’s film is a warm appreciation of the Grammy Award-winning best-selling artist, whose life story was memorialized in the Oscar-winning COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER, based on Lynn’s 1976 autobiography, and which, of course, takes its name from her most recognizable song. That song is so popular that Jayanti just can’t resist including what feels like more than a dozen renditions here, not only by Lynn in archival and present day footage, but by family members, other country stars, and, in what’s absolutely overkill, members of a tour group that come through Lynn’s ranch during an interview. This over-indulgence isn’t limited to that song, unfortunately, as the doc also features one or two too many riffs on “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man),” contributing to a feeling that the project is a bit padded. On the plus side, Lynn is a warm, genuine presence, allowing her to win over viewers who might not have any particular affection for her style of music; and the entertaining stories her family shares of her tumultuous 48-year relationship with husband Doolittle demonstrate just how he inspired her catalogue of vibrant songs about cheating and drinking.
what (not) to doc 