Why so much hype?

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This movie was awful, nothing in it was real, Jesco White was a thief and a coward, he never won a fight in his life much less shoot anyone, oh... one thing was real, he did sniff glue , lighter fluid, and gas, and Ole man McCoy beat the crap out of him for stealing lighter fluid from his store, and my brother never dragged D Ray he shot him,also Jesco and Dorsey with a 12 gage shot gun, after Dorcey shot at him with a pistol, my brother spent 10 yrs in jail till Jesco made the first documentary and the parole board seen it and let Steve out of prison, these people are scum of the earth, everyone from Boone county are ashamed of Jesco, we were raised and went to school with em, my Mother and Donald Rays Mother ( Oni ) are first cousins, who ever made this show screwed up,,,wish they would have asked me to write the script, I would have made it real, the actors were good in this show, but the story line was 98% false

What was the point of using Jes as a reference? There's nothing biographical here. You took his life and made a silly ode to excess? The whole movie looks like a commercial (since the director is a commercial director), and it feels hollow and empty... must be the Croatian setting.I'd expect nothing more than *cough* "writers" at Vice. Trash. It's like a Ministry or Marilyn Manson album. "Look at me, I'm shocking." Carrie Fisher is ridiculously bad. Why would you blow any of your budget on that troll? I just don't get anything about this film. It's exploitive of the South, of Jesco, of addiction and Christianity. It just feels more like a parody than any real honest sentiment.

technically , let's say it was pretty different, black and white picture, quick cuts, very dynamic and engaging. lots of violence at first but then you realize it was not that obvious and direct. study of state of mind of a man who is definitely sick and out of control. i had no idea who jesco white was. i read afterwards about his talent and being an artist.i didn't catch it at the first and i have an impression it wasn't that important, however the film forced me to dig deeper in his story. you may either love the movie or hate it. nothing between is possible. the music is worth listening. it perfectly matched the picture and i can't imagine it could be different.

Seen this one at the Berlin Filmfestival 2009 and did not know what I was up for. Felt quite a bit sorry for the friends I brought with me cause it turned out to be a tour de force in part.The style, the editing, the acting - all that is pretty impressive and engaging. But mind you: the depicted life story is most of the time not a pretty sight and not for the faint of heart. The depictions of substance abuse (lighter and gas fumes) by the young Jesco White, his violent outbursts, self mutilation, up to the murders in the end of the movie... I don't know a better way to stage this in a feature film and it is supposed to be true to the life of Jesco White. Still, beware what you might be up for: could be your first walk-out in a long time.I don't regret watching this movie, though I don't know if I had gone had I known what I was up for. Besides, I was glad I could end the film festival with another movie after that... sort of to clear my mind.