Barbecue...a Love Story . Austin Chronicle . 03-30-98

Barbecue...a Love Story

DIRECTED BY: Stacy Kirk

REVIEWED: 03-30-98

Shakespeare was wrong when he said that music was the food of love. But, to be fair, barbecue hadn't been invented in Renaissance England. There's just something about meat slow-grilling, rubbed in spices and bathed in sauce, served with a nice, cold iced tea that gets juices other than the salivary flowing. Especially for Lucky, the slow-speaking Texan with a sweet spot for good barbecue. Unfortunately, Lucky is a barbecue savant, talented at licking his fingers but falls short in just about any other useful category, particularly when it involves women. Texas-born director-screenwriter Stacy Kirk loves Lucky and has carefully crafted a slow, sweet film that celebrates Lucky's talent with meat and never flinching from his heartache while spinning in sub-plots that heat up the coals in this savory pit. But the film, like a good all-you-can-eat special, satisfies and, if you're careful, leaves you just this side of stuffed.

Unfortunately, the preceding short, Matthew Harrison's "Bystander From Hell," is a lousy appetizer for this wonderful repast. "Bystander" is like being trapped on a street with your Uncle Louie and forced to listen to his stories, including the ones that could get him arrested, until the traffic light changes and you can escape.

--Adrienne Martini

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Barbecue...a Love Story

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