Mark Reviews Movies: JIMMY CARTER: ROCK & ROLL PRESIDENT

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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 8, 2020

As a human being, Jimmy Carter's image doesn't need any kind of rehabilitation. His worldwide humanitarian efforts, when he could have disappeared from public life to find a relaxing one in his hometown, speak for themselves. As a president, though, Carter's leadership and work have been overshadowed by the economy at the time and the Iranian hostage crisis that played out in his administration's final year. Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President puts the man's political career, as the governor of Georgia and in the presidency, in a far more positive light than most historians would shine upon the man.

The portrait feels pretty earned, not only because of the White House's current occupant, but also because the film, which frames Carter's political work against his true love of music, shows him as a decent, ordinary person. His wide-ranging taste in music reflects a belief that there's more that unites us than divides us.

It's not a perfect reflection, obviously. Still, director Mary Wharton certainly convinces us that there's something deeper beneath Carter's embrace of music and musicians—something that allows us to re-evaluate what we think we know about Carter as a politician and an elected official.

Interviews and archival footage are the formal rule for this documentary, although the subjects of those interviews and the content of some of that footage are inspired. We hear from Carter himself, obviously, but also from assorted musicians (the likes of his friends Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson), Carter's son, and some members of his administration.

We see him introduce the Allman Brothers at various campaign events and watch as a kind of "battle of the bands" emerges during the Democratic primaries. The technique of appealing to the electorate in such a way is referred to as "soft power." Carter, clearly, was a master of it, but based on his inaugural concert and the assorted concerts he held at the White House, the reason for that command was simple: His appreciation for music was and remains sincere.

Politics and Carter's strategy of diplomacy above all else come into play Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, of course. Indeed, once the hostage crisis occurs in the film's straightforward timeline, the musical focus all but disappears, but the music—of social rebellion and change—gives us a foundation for looking at Carter in a different, thoughtful, and favorable way.

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