Customer Reviews

Just An American Boy - DVD

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I'm a great fan of Steve Earle, the outspoken activist/musician and the subject of this documentary. I had read a recent biography of him, so I was somewhat familiar with his life, music, and politics, and was looking forward to learning more when I put this DVD in.
JUST AN AMERICAN BOY contains some terrific musical performances, but sadly it leaves Earle himself unknowable. The 2002 tour, the film's primary setting, occurred during the firestom over "John Walker's Blues", a song on Earle's JERSUALEM album widely misunderstood as being pro-Taliban. There are a lot of issues to discuss here, yet Earle is heard to say little on the subject in the film, and we just get some recycled news clips for context. Footage from a court-ordered concert at a prison comes late and out of chronological order in the film, and little is said about Earle's overcoming some whopping addictions earlier in his life. In one bizarre scene, Earlr recounts a story of being arrested while carrying a gun which accidentally discharges to a woman who laughs uproariously and inappropriately. Also, I would have liked more on Earle's musical roots, there's only a brief mention of the iconoclastic singer-writers who nurtured Earle, like Townes Van Zandt.
Overall, a disappointing film about a fascinating man.

When I first read the review of this documentary I thought,"Wow! I have to buy this". WHAT A MISTAKE!!!
This is by far the worst piece of crap I've ever purchased. The "film-making" was absolutely horrible...Shaky, amateurish edits done with what looks like a cheap, home video camera. It literally looks like someones 12 year old kid put this together. But even if you can stomach the amateurish production, the bad story telling cannot be overlooked. The film-makers seemed to lose focus after the first 10 minutes of so....Very little meaningful insight into the man behind the music. All in all...a horrible document of a great musical talent.