Overview

• The documentary premieres as a roughly three-hour, two-part cine-musical presented with an intermission.
• Hawke interweaves extensive archival material, including Merle Haggard’s 2014 interview for Ken Burns’ Country Music, with new testimony from family members and peers.
• About 25–30 contemporary performances punctuate the biography, with contributions from artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams.
• Hawke frames the film with a personal road trip along California’s State Route 99, driving his father’s vintage Plymouth Barracuda to trace Haggard’s roots.
• Critics welcome the celebratory tone and musical curation but frequently note the length and occasionally scattershot feel of the performance-driven structure.