The film maker did very little with what could have been an interesting subject. While the theme of what constitutes a 'neo hillbillies' was fairly pervasive, it was poorly explored. While the cultural black hole of Branson was covered in depth, scarce mention (if any)was made of nearby Springfield, which has likely had more influence over the band itself and the 'hillbilly transformation' as a whole. It seemed as if the film maker intentionally ignored this possibility so that his finished product would more cleanly coincide with his own concept of what hillbillies are and were.He also put a great burden on Big Smith's music- perhaps he was aiming for an Amadeus style unseen character- but the result on screen did not translate as such. Big Smith is a fantastic band, but their music was used either to reassert the director's concepts of what the Ozarks are (which again could have been done well)or to simply glaze over gaps in his logic. Which were many.If this film had not had an attractive backdrop and a number of articulate subjects it would have been unwatchable.
Review of Homemade Hillbilly Jam
