Hollywood to Dollywood
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''Hollywood to Dollywood'' is an American documentary film that played at 60 film festivals in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, and Australia in 2011 and 2012. Directed by John Lavin, the film follows the cross-country journey of identical twins Gary and Larry Lane to deliver to
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
a screenplay they wrote, which includes a role for her. ''Hollywood to Dollywood'' has won 24 film festival awards and includes 17 Parton songs, two of which were previously unreleased. The film had a one-week theatrical release in New York beginning August 31, 2012, followed a week later in Los Angeles.


Synopsis

Twin brothers Gary and Larry Lane, originally from Goldsboro, N.C., have written a screenplay entitled ''Full Circle'' with a role specifically for their idol, Dolly Parton. Unsuccessful in their efforts to bring the screenplay to the singer-actress's attention, the brothers travel in an RV from
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where they reside, to
Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...
, Parton's theme park in
Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Pa ...
, Tennessee. Their plan is to hand the screenplay to Parton, whom they had met a few times briefly, at one of her scheduled appearances during Dollywood's 25th anniversary celebration. ''Hollywood to Dollywood'' follows the brothers' travels in the RV they nicknamed Jolene, after one of Parton's hit songs. Also on board Jolene as the main driver is Michael Bowen, Gary Lane's partner. Bowen hopes to present Parton with a birdhouse he handcrafted, a replica of her Tennessee home. During the five-day journey of 2,200 miles along Interstate 40, the Lanes revise their screenplay, endure a tornado, meet everyday Americans, and talk about their experiences growing up gay in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. The 2010 Nashville flood nearly derails their plans to get to Dollywood in time to meet Parton. The documentary also explores the Lane twins' concerns about their Southern hometown's potential reaction to the film (and to the brothers'
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
) and their desire for acceptance from their Southern
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
mother. ''Hollywood to Dollywood'' includes appearances from several of the Lane twins' friends, including actors
Leslie Jordan Leslie Allen Jordan (April 29, 1955 – October 24, 2022) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Supporting characters on Will & Grace, Beverley Leslie on ''Will & Grace'' (2001–2006 and 2017–2020) ...
, Chad Allen,
Beth Grant Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy '' The Mindy Project'' in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie ...
and Ann Walker and Oscar-winning screenwriter
Dustin Lance Black Dustin Lance Black (born June 10, 1974) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He is known for writing the film ''Milk'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2009. He has also sub ...
.


Cast

* Gary Lane as himself * Larry Lane as himself *Michael Bowen as himself *
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
as herself *
Leslie Jordan Leslie Allen Jordan (April 29, 1955 – October 24, 2022) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Supporting characters on Will & Grace, Beverley Leslie on ''Will & Grace'' (2001–2006 and 2017–2020) ...
as himself * Chad Allen as himself *
Dustin Lance Black Dustin Lance Black (born June 10, 1974) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He is known for writing the film ''Milk'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2009. He has also sub ...
as himself *
Beth Grant Beth Grant (born September 18, 1949) is an American character actress. Between 2012 and 2017, she was a series regular on the television comedy '' The Mindy Project'' in the role of Beverly Janoszewski. She is also known for her role as Gracie ...
as herself *Ann Walker as herself *Manouschka Guerrier as herself


Parton's involvement

After viewing the film, Parton granted the Lane twins the use of some of her songs for the film as well as the DVD and Blu-ray versions. Parton's music, including hits such as '' I Will Always Love You'', ''
Coat of Many Colors In the Hebrew Bible, the coat of many colors ( he, כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים, ketonet passim) is the name for the garment that Joseph (Hebrew Bible), Joseph owned, which was given to him by his father, Jacob. Biblical narrative Joseph' ...
'', and ''Jolene'' and two previously unreleased songs ''Celebrate the Dreamer in You'' and ''The Sky is Not the Limit'', serve as a backdrop throughout the film. The brothers helped pay for the rights to Parton's music with prize money earned on the
reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
program '' Wipeout''. Parton also gave permission to use her likeness in the film's poster and in the film's promotion. She gave the filmmakers footage shot at Dollywood and during the opening of her Trinkets and Treasures store in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
. Parton appears in the film as well, in news clips and in footage shot for the documentary. During a press conference Parton said she appreciated that she was "an inspiration (to the Lanes) and someone they kind of leaned on." She said she was "proud" to be a part of their documentary. The Lane twins donate 10 percent of each
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
sale to the Imagination Library, an organization administered by Parton's
Dollywood Foundation The Dollywood Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Dolly Parton, with headquarters in Sevierville, Tennessee (as of 2022). Shortly after the opening of the Dollywood theme park in 1986, the Dollywood Foundation was created in April 1 ...
. The Imagination Library provides free books each month to young children enrolled in the program.


Accolades

The Lanes submitted their film to festivals whose timing would coincide with Parton's tour dates. During 2011 and 2012, ''Hollywood to Dollywood'' played at 60 film festivals in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, and Australia. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' review of the film said, "The optimism and good humor of John Lavin's crude, endearing documentary...are so unquenchable that its disturbing underlying theme — growing up gay in the South is no picnic — is partly obscured by its openheartedness." ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "''Hollywood to Dollywood'' overcomes its thematic limitations with an endearing, casual charm that only the most curmudgeonly could fully resist." ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' said the film is "as much a road movie as it is a subtle screed on civil rights." On her TV program,
Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...
called ''Hollywood to Dollywood'' "a beautiful movie." In a review on the website AfterElton.com, Brent Hartinger wrote that "the movie's terrific — a true crowd-pleaser all the way." Hartinger added that "easily the most interesting thing about the movie is its look at American Southern culture, particularly as it applies to gays." The blog DVDTalk said the film is "thoroughly enjoyable," "a hybrid of carefree road trip and probing examination of the Southern American LGBT community." ''Hollywood to Dollywood'' has won 24 film festivals awards including Best Documentary, Audience Favorite at the
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
Mardi Gras Film Festival The Mardi Gras Film Festival is an Australian LGBTQ+ film festival held in Sydney, New South Wales annually as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations. It is organised by Queer Screen Limited, a non-profit organization, and i ...
(2012); Best Documentary, NYC Downtown Feature Film Festival (2012); Audience Choice Award, Best Documentary, Out on Film Festival, Atlanta (2012); and two awards at th
8th Annual ReelHeART International Film Festival
in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
(2011), including the prestigious 'Founder's Award (Best of the Fest) and First Place, Feature Documentary Award.


References


External links

* *
The Lane Twins website
*
''NCIS'' Star Pauley Perrette's review

Director John Lavin's Bloodrush Films website
{{Dolly Parton 2011 documentary films 2011 films American documentary films American independent films Dollywood Films set in the 2010s Films shot in California Films shot in Tennessee 2010s English-language films 2010s American films