Review of Bright Leaves (2004) by Tyler R — 24 Apr 2006

In the high school hallways of documentary film, if Michael Moore is the sneering know-it-all, Ross McElwee is the shy geek who just can't bring himself to ask you to the prom. (I must say, I'm proud of that analogy). This worked amazingly in his 1986 breakthrough "Sherman's March"--McElwee's look at his disastrous love life in a documentary intended to be about the Civil War General Sherman. Now, almost twenty years later, he takes on the tobacco industry with [b][u]Bright Leaves[/u][/b], another wonderfully introspective and hysterical film. This time he's sidetracked by the history of his tobacco farmer ancestors (and the obscure 1950 Gary Cooper film "Bright Leaf", which is clearly a fictionalized account of the family struggle). Like "Sherman", the film runs a bit too long, (but it doesn't seem to matter because McElwee's a damn nice guy) and is strewn with calamitous distractions (including a sequence with a film theorist that had me in stitches). And it's a film that can go seamlessly from a serious interview with a cancer patient to a pensive shot of McElwee walking, interrupted by a yapping dog at his feet (narration: "It ruined the shot.").

It's a shame that McElwee is still a relative unknown, because this laid-back documentary is more effective than anything Michael Moore could summon against the cigarette companies (no hostility toward Michael Moore--loved "Bowling for Columbine"--it's just that this is [i]really [/i]good). I haven't seen "Sherman's March" or "Bright Leaves" (or any of his other films) in too many stores, but they're pretty accessible for online purchase. I highly recommend them.