“Hollywood to Dollywood” opens in NYC, gets rave review from The New York Times

So happy for Gary Lane and Larry Lane and their wonderful documentary Hollywood to Dollywood which opened in New York City today.

Directed by John Lavin, the film chronicles a cross-country trip taken by the gay twins. They embark on the trip to try and deliver a movie script they have written for their idol, Dolly Parton, when she is making appearances at Dollywood during the theme park’s 25th anniversary weekend.

In a rented RV they name Jolene, the Lanes and Gary’s boyfriend Mike Bowen embark on a road trip that is also a journey of self-discovery.

The New York Times has given it a rave. Here is an excerpt from Stephen Holden’s review:

The optimism and good humor of John Lavin’s crude, endearing documentary “Hollywood to Dollywood” are so unquenchable that its disturbing underlying theme — growing up gay in the South is no picnic — is partly obscured by its openheartedness. … The brothers’ stories of rejection by their mother would be heartbreaking and infuriating if related by less resilient people. But perhaps because they have each other, as well as long-term boyfriends — Gary’s partner, Mike Bowen, travels with them — they are more saddened than devastated. … As they make their way through northern Texas in tornado weather to Nashville, which is still recovering from a catastrophic flood, they tell their stories, visit friends and chat about Ms. Parton with everyone they meet. You realize the degree to which Ms. Parton, a Tennessee mountain native, now 66, is a folk heroine to people throughout the South.