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Review: Rhett And Link’s “Looking For Ms. Locklear,”

Is An Important NC Documentary

By R. Gregg, Raleigh Telegram

Week Of Thursday, February 11, 2010

LUMBERTON, NC - Although the comedy duo known as Rhett and Link are known for their YouTube videos which have entertained millions of viewers, their recently released DVD movie is about a serious topic: the struggle of the Lumbee American Indian tribe to gain recognition.

That’s not to say “Looking For Ms. Locklear” is boring and preachy -- quite the opposite in fact and their hour long film is very entertaining, featuring the duo’s particular mix of humor and music that has garnered them fans around the world.

Rhett & Link On Lumbee Culture

Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal grew up in Buies Creek, North Carolina and attended elementary school together. In the first grade, the two met and they have been friends and collaborators ever since.

The documentary movie’s premise in “Looking For Ms. Locklear” is that the pair are trying to find their first grade teacher, Ms. Locklear, and to thank her in person for bringing the duo together.

Rhett and Link attempt to go about this without the use of the internet or telephones and as such, end up interviewing several people named Locklear.

Anyone familiar with eastern North Carolina knows that Locklear (along with Oxendine) is a very common name among those with Lumbee Indian heritage and soon, the two men find themselves talking with various people about what it’s like to be a Lumbee in North Carolina.

They run across characters like Carnell Locklear, who has the gift of gab and song, and from there their journey takes them on a vision quest of sorts as they discover more about the Lumbee people.

As they learn about the struggle of the Lumbees to receive full federal recognition, they see everything from collard sandwiches to the Mr. Lumbee contest. They document the motivations behind “Driven,” a heavy metal American Indian band as well as tag along for Indian Bureau hearings in Congress.

The movie serves as a important tool in recording the dichotomy that is every day life for members of the Lumbee tribe -- although they have a very long heritage that is celebrated with pride, they also face low incomes and struggle to gain respect from a country that doesn’t fully recognize them as a full-fledged Native American tribe.

In one interview with a member of the heavy metal band, he explains that there aren’t many opportunities and that the “Lumbee dream” is to have a trailer, a Harley Davidson, and a nice car.

In another telling moment about their struggle, Mr. Goins, a Lumbee leader, testified before Congress that when he joined the US Army and served his country, they recognized him as an American Indian.

However, his own government did not acknowledge his status as a Native American when he returned to civilian life.

Rhett and Link’s documentary is both funny and serious at the same time.

It is an important film to watch for anyone interested in North Carolina history and culture, as it has uniquely recorded the everyday life, heritage, pride, and struggle of the 60,000 people in our state who call themselves members of the Lumbee tribe.

And do Rhett and Link find Ms. Locklear? Well they say that the journey is as important as reaching your destination, so we’re not going to spoil that for you.

But we will say that Rhett and Link have made a very enjoyable film that is fun to watch from beginning to end.

We gave the movie 4 stars out of 5 and we hope that the pair will continue to make full length movies.

ON THE WEB: Rhett & Link Films Page

ON THE WEB: Rhett & Link YouTube Videos

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