Rich Hall's Countrier Than You

Another in the enjoyable series of documentaries made by Rich Hall for BBC4, this one looking at the general topic of country music. As Hall himself concedes, he cannot cover 'country music' in 90 minutes, so he tries to capture the essence of it, the variety within it, and the cycles it goes through. As a structure it is a good idea and mostly works quite well, although it didn't totally capture me into caring about the subject as much as some of his previous films. Some of the devices didn't work that well either; for instance that of his own song being played for others – I didn't think that was particularly good as an idea, and the song is certainly not up to the level that his 'uncle' Otis Lee Crenshaw could deliver.

That said, it does mostly engage, and Hall is a gruff and engaging host. The film is amusing and interesting for the most part, although never fascinating or hilarious – but it cuts a very even and likable furrow. Would have liked more sharp edges to it, and more of a hook to get the casual viewer into it, but still a perfectly fine documentary from an ever reliable Hall.