Virtual Cinema: Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President
Jimmy Carter becomes the first U.S. president to openly embrace rock 'n' roll.
(NR, 96 min.)
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If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. The documentary charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this engaging portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history.
[Metacritic]
Starring: Jimmy Carter, Madeleine Albright, Tom Beard, Bono
Director: Mary Wharton
Genre: Documentary
"As joyful and buoyant as its music."
— Caryn James, Hollywood Reporter
"It’s a fun soulful documentary that’s rarely ever invasive, depicting the type of statesman we’re sorely missing today."
— Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
"Even more than the music itself, or Carter's passion for it, this alertness to sharedness is what ultimately makes the film moving as well as so pleasurable."
— Mark Feeney, Boston Globe
"Wharton brings an extraordinary diversity of speakers to explain the wildly eclectic archive footage she assembles, with as many foreign policy experts as guitarists."
— Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
"Watching 'Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President,' it's hard not to be stirred by the testimonials, from people like Dylan and Nelson and Bono, to Carter's fine-grained humanity."
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
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