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A wonderful documentary on the mystique of Ozark mountain men, their families and the great musical traditions they keep alive.

You ever just know you’re going to like a DVD before watching it just by the menu alone? It happens occasionally; the music that plays as that menu starts up is just enough to get you pumped for what you are about to see. Pumped may be the wrong word, but certainly, the twang of the Ozark banjo doing its thing as the disc for Homemade Hillbilly Jam is enough to get me prepared for something enjoyable.

And enjoyable it is. This documentary goes into the near-mythical Ozark Mountains to follow families of what would stereotypically termed “hillbillies.” The focus here is on the musical traditions that have come out of this branch of Americana. That’s the near-beauteous thing about this gem of a film: There is no agenda, there is no contrived plot, and there isn’t a real goal. It’s a rambling good time that doesn’t try to be anything more than it is – a look at some good folk, their lives and their music. From scenes of the family’s band Big Smith performing for fans at a club to the boys and their loved ones sitting down for Thanksgiving and following it up with a song, the music is the importance of the film, just as important as it is to the daily lives of these people. And it’s great music…diverse, harmonious and everlasting.

Homemade Hillbilly Jam never aspires to be an indictment of anything; it simply is what it is. It takes a very misconstrued segment of American society and shows us the true beauty within it. These are real people, with hearts as big anything, and the general loves of life and music are infectious for the viewer. Shots of the family fishing or going to church may not sound all that exciting, but with the near-constant flow of gorgeous down-home singing, it never gets boring. It does well to keep the attention on a small band of people, instead of trying to grasp the entirety of the type. Again, the musical moments are the stand-outs here, and there’s even some vintage footage of “hillbilly” bands performing on television in the 1960s (would you believe they actually let a band called the Baldknobbers on TV in 1969?). Director Rick Minnich has done just an absolute wonderful job with capturing this piece of Americana.

Released on DVD by First Run Features, there are plenty of nice bonus features to be found. A fun little group of outtakes/cut material is followed by a featurette on the premiere of the documentary. Three bonus songs are included as well, and they’re just as fun as anything in the film. Photo galleries and biographies round out the extras.

Homemade Hillbilly Jam is an absolute gem of a documentary. There’s nothing to get angry about here, nothing to hold your head in shame at for how the world is going to hell. It’s a respite – a reminder that no matter what darkness every other documentary out there wants to focus on, there really are good people out there that love one another and love their music. It’s a genuinely good time, and I’m glad they share that music for us here.

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