VIFF review: Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President finds Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and more singing the Peanut Farmer president’s praises
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself yearning for an era of kinder, gentler U.S. politics
Jimmy Carter and Willie Nelson
Streams September 24 to October 7 as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival, via VIFF.org
JIMMY CARTER WAS cooler than you ever knew—even more so when he’s put up against the presidential candidates for the 2020 U.S. election. Turns out the man once derided as the Peanut Farmer was besties with the likes of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, both of whom sing his praises here. He also hosted regular concerts, first at the guv’nah’s mansion in Georgia, and later at the White House, after the Allmann Brothers helped propel him to election. In her fun, well-researched, and zippily edited documentary, director Mary Wharton connects Carter’s open-minded approach to music to his political achievements.
These include the Panama Canal and no less than peace in the Middle East via the Camp David Accords. You’ll also learn about Carter’s humble beginnings in a Black community in Plains, Georgia, right through to getting booted from office in the midst of the Iranian hostage crisis. Music fans will get a kick out of archival clips here of Carter-hosted concerts by the likes of Paul Simon and Aretha Franklin.
Colourful anecdotes abound, from Carter sending the Chinese ambassador to meet June and Johnny Cash in Nashville to Cher sipping from a White House dinner finger bowl. And you’ll enjoy appearances by the wise, self-effacing nonagenarian himself, who reflects on his presidency with a record player at his side. Carter had his flaws, but it’s hard not to feel a little nostalgic for a kinder, gentler president.
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