Bakersfield is having its Hollywood moment

"For the second week in a row, Bakersfield serves as the backdrop for an eagerly anticipated feature film. After Ethan Coen shined a spotlight on the town with his noir "Honey, Don't!" the city gets additional screen time from director Ethan Hawke, who decided to explore the streets of Bakersfield himself. Hawke's "Highway 99: A Double Album" is a three-hour documentary about the life and music of Bakersfield's own poet laureate, Merle Haggard."

"He appears to replicate this style in the Haggard documentary, where some of today's most notable recording artists, including Norah Jones, Jason Isbell, Shooter Jennings and even Killer Mike, put their spin on Haggard's heart-beating-right-on-his-sleeve music and prose. "These acoustic cover tunes serve as sweet chapter stops, and with any luck, the film's title will eventually become literal with a soundtrack album," Variety wrote in its review last weekend."

"The film "opens with Hawke narrating and driving around Haggard's native Bakersfield in his dad's old car, talking about how he grew up developing a love for 'the Hag' via the osmosis of dashboard tapes," the Variety review noted. "... All those Bakersfield driving shots do serve a filmmaking purpose: Most of Haggard's most revealing interviews were audio-only, and you've got to have something on screen while the late legend is unexpectedly pourin"

Ethan Hawke directed Highway 99: A Double Album, a three-hour documentary about the life and music of Bakersfield poet laureate Merle Haggard. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival to rave reviews. Hawke previously gained attention for the HBO Max miniseries The Last Movie Stars. The documentary uses driving shots through Bakersfield and narration to accompany many audio-only interviews. Contemporary artists including Norah Jones, Jason Isbell, Shooter Jennings and Killer Mike perform acoustic covers that act as chapter stops. The film suggests the potential for a companion soundtrack album.

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