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Heartworn Highways

Name: Heartworn Highways
Genre: Documentary, Music
Released: 1976-05-01
Cast: Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, David Allan Coe, Peggy Brooks, Guy Clark

1976 | 92 min | Documentary, Music

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had soft box office and little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Right up the alley of spy-story fans and people who'll be humming afterwards. Nobody is quite who they seem. Shelve it next to Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me or Cobain: Montage of Heck. The music is woven into the story, not just laid on top.
The mood: Eye-opening.
The pace: Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 32 min.
What might put you off: Rated R: meant for adults.
Made in 1976: an older pace and style.
Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

The music speaks for itself in this performance documentary that highlights some of the biggest names within the country-folk scene in Texas and Tennessee during the last weeks of 1975 and the first weeks of 1976, eschewing narration and staged interviews.

How it earned its rating

CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 29K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by James Szalapski

Townes Van ZandtSelf
Steve EarleSelf
David Allan CoeSelf
Peggy BrooksSelf
Guy ClarkSelf
Rodney CrowellSelf
Charlie DanielsSelf
Wayne MossSelf
Gamble RogersSelf
Glenn StagnerSelf