American Mullet

Starring:Matthew Bose
Director: Jennifer Arnold
Studio: Palm Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Short on top, long in the back: An awful lot of people in this amusing and enlightening documentary, American Mullet, agree that the mullet haircut (or, believe it or not, the "shlong," i.e., short-and-long) is an ugly 'do. But that doesn't stop a broad and mixed population of mullet-heads, coast to coast, from sporting it for all kinds of reasons. Lesbians like it (according to those speaking on camera) because it is both butch and feminine. Some Native Americans like it because it's a streamlined version of a traditional look. Stuck-in-the-'80s rockers like it because, for them, time has stood still. Bikers, wrestlers, Pat Benatar-wannabes: Everyone, as Jean Renoir once said, has their reasons. As this bemused film looks for America through the prism of an all-purpose, bad coiffure, director Jennifer Arnold reminds us that some subjects can be simultaneously absurd and profoundly revealing about such delicate matters as personal identity. --Tom Keogh
Description
Please correct studio information - this is a PALM PICTURES release, NOT Lions Gate - thank you

American Mullet
Average customer rating:

A Long, Short Documentary

Terrific!

great documentary

More effective than a sedative!

American Mullet
Starring: Matthew Bose
Director: Jennifer Arnold
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods

Growin' a Beard

ASIN: B00049QQH8
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

Short on top, long in the back: An awful lot of people in this amusing and enlightening documentary, American Mullet, agree that the mullet haircut (or, believe it or not, the "shlong," i.e., short-and-long) is an ugly 'do. But that doesn't stop a broad and mixed population of mullet-heads, coast to coast, from sporting it for all kinds of reasons. Lesbians like it (according to those speaking on camera) because it is both butch and feminine. Some Native Americans like it because it's a streamlined version of a traditional look. Stuck-in-the-'80s rockers like it because, for them, time has stood still. Bikers, wrestlers, Pat Benatar-wannabes: Everyone, as Jean Renoir once said, has their reasons. As this bemused film looks for America through the prism of an all-purpose, bad coiffure, director Jennifer Arnold reminds us that some subjects can be simultaneously absurd and profoundly revealing about such delicate matters as personal identity. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

A Long, Short Documentary.......2006-08-03

Short on top and long in the back: the Shlong. The Mullet. Ugly. Hideous. Out-of-date. Whatever you want to call it, this hair style is something that was probably better off forgotten.

Some might laugh at the simple commentary (I didn't), or feel a twinge of nostalgia if they mulletized themselves back in the 70s or early 80s. But that's about the only entertainment you're going to get from American Mullet.

Never having wore this style myself, I can't relate very well to the film. I had bushy hair, but never the short-long version. So the nagging "Why?" question kept tugging at me. Why am I watching this? What purpose does it serve? Are there really that many Harley-riding, lesbian, faux country-western singers out there?

Maybe I'm completely unaware of this niche group.

The documentary-makers traveled around the Western U.S., finding those poor lost souls who still think the mullet is cool, or is a statement of individuality (something I wished they'd covered in more depth). One Harley Davidson riding tough-guy commented on how he doesn't care what others think of his hair, he wears the style because it represents him as a person -- showing people what's on the inside by wearing the mullet on the outside. I thought this was the most insightful commentary in the entire film (especially with the Jennifer Aniston look-alikes that currently decorate a huge portion of American women's heads). But this information is touched on for only a minute and then quickly brushed aside as we move from mullet-wearer to mullet-wearer and hear a bunch of rubbish that makes the entire documentary feel scatterbrained.

The biggest blessing about American Mullet is that it's only 52 minutes long. I don't say this in an antagonistic fashion, either. It's actually somewhat of a compliment. The film-makers didn't stretch this rather static topic out into a two hour presentation. I'll give them credit for that, but that's about it.

(My advice to those who still wear this hairstyle? It's okay if you want to be "an individual". It's okay if you want to be retro. But is this style what you really want? It's horrible! Get a haircut!)

Terrific!.......2004-02-20

I went into this thinking I'd have a lot of laughs looking at people with funny hair. I did, all the way through, but my sense of humor went through a transition from laughing at the subjects of the film, to laughing at how we as a society (me included) put so much meaning into a person's appearance. Why are we so touchy about how others look, especially when it comes to what we consider to be the extreme in bad taste? I still think mullets look ugly on most people (there were a few people who actually wore that look very well!). But there is a deeper ugliness in those who chose to look down on others that they consider tacky or silly. Perhaps the mullet is one of the last bastions of American individualism. It's what makes our culture so diverse and interesting. This film is a wonderful celebration of that!

great documentary.......2003-11-22

This is a great documentary. It shows the vast range of people who sport the mullet hair-style, from rockers to lesbians to motorcyclists to soccer players... It is a nonjudgmental look at a cult hairstyle. Highly entertaining without mocking the film's subjects.

More effective than a sedative!.......2003-10-28

If your lacking sleep buy this movie!! I bought it thinking it was supposed to be funny. It is actually a documentary about mullets. Thats it!!! NO ATTEMPTS at levity AT ALL!!! Literally! I thought it would be along the lines of all the websites out there that poke fun at this sad state of hair. BUT ITS NOT!!!! It was dry and long and had no point!!!!!! RUN AWAY!!!!!!