Looking for Ms. Locklear

I'm not a huge fan of Rhett and Link's YouTube Channel, comedy songs aren't my thing unless the music itself can stand on its own, but I do enjoy when they go out and talk to real people. They did this brilliantly in this movie and I hope they do more documentaries on ordinary people with extraordinary lives. They say in the movie that it wasn't their intent to make a movie like this when they first came up with the idea to search for Ms. Locklear but I applaud them for seeing the gold mine that was right in front of them. There's lots of interesting people in this world that you will never meet or know about because they're hidden away in rural areas away from the mainstream. The people they met along their journey were delightful and when they finally find Ms. Locklear, it's the perfect bookend to a great story. What an awesome tribute to all teachers who take their job seriously and have a positive impact on the lives of their students. Ms. Locklear might not have those "killer bangs" any more but she's still got it going on and her students are still crazy about her. If you like documentaries such as "Brother's Keeper", "Crumb", "Dead River Rough Cut", "Holding On - A love story from the streets.", or even John O'Brien's Vermont Trilogy with "Man with a Plan", "Vermont is for Lovers", and "Nosey Parker", then this movie is for you.

I'm a sucker for road movies, especially Hope and Crosby wisecracking their way across (fill in exotic locale) with Lamour popping up somewhere along the way. Nothing, I thought, could replace that talented duo in my heart. After viewing Rhett and Link's Looking for Ms. Locklear, I do believe that the Commercial Kings at least have nudged Bob and Bing over a bit and definitely set up a little place of their own in my cardio area. Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, if you don't already know, are up and coming YouTube sensations, filmmakers, and hosts of The Commercial Kings on the Independent Film Channel. Both former engineers, they began producing low budget yet exceedingly witty and quirky commercials for small businesses - their most famous being the Chuck Testa taxidermy ads which thrust Mr. Testa into internet memedom. The premise behind the film, Looking For Ms Locklear, is a road trip back to their North Carolina roots to find their first grade teacher. She is the reason that team Rhett and Link exists today. Keeping the young Rhett and Link inside from recess for writing bad words on their desks, Miss Locklear unknowingly cemented a friendship between them that has lasted a lifetime. Desiring to track her down to thank her for bringing them together, Rhett and Link decide to travel the back roads of their childhood seeking out people who may help them find her. Before starting out on their quest, they decide not to use any form of communication (internet or telephone) to locate her. They would only interact face- to-face with people, filming their adventure along the way. Looking For Ms. Locklear is an endearing tribute not only to a well-loved teacher, but to the people of Rhett and Link's place of growing up. The film is populated with real "characters" who, if handled with less loving hands, could have come off as targets of mockery - but with Rhett and Link we can only smile and wish we had them as neighbors. Surprisingly, Looking for Ms. Locklear is more than just nostalgic whimsy. As a serendipitous sideline, it brings to the fore the struggle of the Native American nation, the Lumbees, for Federal recognition as an Indian tribe with Rhett and link traveling to Washington DC to lend their moral support at a Senate hearing. I can't remember the last time I watched a personal documentary that wasn't cynical and jaded. Looking For Ms. Locklear is a delightful, uplifting movie that will make you feel good about humanity. It is well worth a look.

I'm only a casual Rhett and Link fan, mostly because of their loose ties to Epic Rap Battles of History. I happened to watch one of their recent videos when I learned that they were from NC, where I'm from. A quick web search revealed that they are from Buies Creek and that they had made a documentary about finding their first grade teacher, Ms. Locklear. I had to purchase this if for no other reason than to support two talented guys who made a movie about some of the places that mean so much to me but that get no attention. This film visited so many of the sweet NC spots. I used to live in Erwin, near Buies Creek, and I've sat on the rock in the Cape Fear where they come up with the idea for the film. I graduated from UNCP, where I worked at the Given's Performing Arts Center, so I performed on and worked many shows on the stage where they film the Mr. Lumbee contest. I was born (and now live) in Fayetteville, NC, so I've known many childhood friends who attended Cumberland Mills Elementary. This movie gives a faithful impression of how wonderful the people of Robeson County can be and what they have gone through in their search for federal recognition. If you are at all interested in slightly isolated cultures in the US, you should look up the Lumbee. Some say they are not true Native Americans, but they certainly believe that they are. I don't know enough to say one way or the other, but I can say for a certainty that they are a distinct people with their own English dialect, their own traditions, and their own culture. Keeping with it's optimistic tone, this film reveals a bit about the sunnier side of the culture: Lumbee Days, the local metal band, the common last names (Locklear, yes, but also Oxendine), that long-drawl accent, the pageants (so important there). Robeson County is extremely poor and can be very dangerous, though you only get a passing glimpse at that. As others have said, the real draw of this movie is that Rhett and Link let others tell their stories. And that's the real lasting value of this film; it allows people from a somewhat marginalized group to tell their stories in the way that they choose. It's a story that isn't told enough, and I'm glad this record exists.

I’m a big fan of Rhett&Link....so it’s obvious that I had purchased this dvd....and enjoyed their search of their first grade teacher who’s responsible for that wonderful connection/friendship of 35yrs that continues to make me (& every Mythical Beast fans) laughs every mornings wathing GMM