Some People Don't Get This Film
I've read some user reviews that liken this film to a bad episode of "Jerry Springer," and/or claim that it has no redeeming value and nothing to say. I have to strongly disagree with those folks -- I think the film is a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking, and is far more humane and profound than one might realize upon first viewing. Granted, we are invited to view the Whites as human trainwrecks, with their rampant drug use/dealing, violence, and utter disregard for societal norms. They ARE human trainwrecks. But while much of the film is devoted to their hedonism, the last third takes a very serious, heartbreaking turn, in which we witness their actions catching up with them: Sue Bob weeping over her son's prison sentence, Kirk's baby being taken away, her having to go to rehab and say goodbye to the little boy who clearly adores her. The film has a profound arc, and none of it is forced or scripted: all of this occured within the span of the year the White family was filmed. It's both tragedy and comedy, sometimes simultaneously, just like the everyday life that all of us lead.
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