SHUT UP AND SING [***] (Three stars)
SHARPER and far more entertaining than most political documentaries, “Shut Up and Sing” focuses on the Dixie Chicks, whose fan base changed radically after an offhand comment by lead singer Natalie Maines.
“We’re ashamed the president is from Texas,” she told a concert in London as the United States prepared to invade Iraq in 2003 – a remark that was quickly reported around the world.
Though they were the No. 1 girl group, the Chicks quickly disappeared from country-western radio stations. Boycotts were organized, their albums were burned and there were pickets and death threats at their concerts.
Filmmakers Barbara Kopple (an Oscar winner for “Harlan County USA”) and Cecilia Peck examine the consequences of the articulate Dixie Chicks’ refusal to apologize for exercising their freedom of speech, which included lost album and concert-ticket sales. They also posed in the nude for a famous Entertainment Weekly cover.
“Shut Up and Sing” deftly traces their evolution into a more mainstream group with lots of backstage and performance footage, culminating with recording sessions for their 2006 album “Taking the Long Way,” which debuted at No. 1 and sold 1 million copies in three weeks.
Running time: 93 minutes. Rated R (profanity). At the Lincoln Square and Loews Village.