Telluride Film Festival Review: Ethan Hawke Pays Tribute to Merle Haggard With ‘Highway 99: A Double Album’

Merle Haggard is a country music legend, one who had a life worthy of the big screen treatment. A Hollywood biopic would make a lot of sense, though Ethan Hawke sees things differently. He sees his life and his music as a roadmap, one he follows alongside a who’s who of the music industry. Much like one of Haggard’s songs, Highway 99: A Double Album has a rhythm to it that comfortably sucks you in. This is one of the longer films at the Telluride Film Festival, admittedly, but this doc is very much worth your time.

Highway 99: A Double Album has a vibe to it that really sucks you in. Whether you love country music or not, whether you care about Haggard or not, Hawke’s feelings become your own. It’s something he’s often done with his documentaries, and here, with his largest canvas yet, he does it once more. Regardless of whether you share the fondness for Haggard that Hawke does, he has crafted a tribute that you won’t be able to resist.

The documentary shows us the life and music of Merle Haggard, nearly a decade after his death at 79, though not in your garden variety manner. The film opts to follow Ethan Hawke on a California roadtrip, while he gathers tons of musicians to fete the man. There’s legend upon legend giving us the details of his hard upbringing, run ins with the law, eventual family life, and success, but there’s also a mood being generated. Hawke is searching for a way to show audiences the feeling Haggard and his music gives him. The movie succeeds because he puts you in a vibe where Haggard simply washes over you.

As for the double album nature of the flick, the 26 tracks are separated into two parts, with performances of Haggard’s work by A-list country names. Just some of the ones you’ll see and hear here include Steve Earle, Los Lobos, Lucinda Williams, and Dwight Yoakam, though that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Part of the joy here is in watching everyone who shows up share in Hawke’s love of this man and his music.

Ethan Hawke is an incredibly talented documentary filmmaker, especially in how he captures himself within the films. Just look at Seymour: An Introduction for glorious evidence of that. This doc is long at 174 minutes, but it never feels indulgent or navel gazing. Instead, it feels like the appropriate length to capture the feel of Haggard and his music. The way Hawke relates it back to his own family and his own life is just icing on the cake.

Highway 99: A Double Album can be a big ask for some, admittedly, but anyone willing to take this journey with Hawke will be rewarded. Those who have done so at Telluride are tapping into something that’s hard to describe. The documentary is destined to have a long life, much like the songs of Merle Haggard. The time you put in here will be more than worthwhile.

SCORE: ★★★

Mercury Studios And Sony Music Publishing

present

A Rolling Stone Films, Under the Influence, September Club Production