Movies: 'The Secret to a Happy Ending: A documentary about the Drive-By Truckers'

"The secret to a happy ending is knowing when to roll the credits/Better roll them now before something else goes wrong." With lyrics like that, it's no wonder that heaps of praise are hoisted upon alt-country band Drive-By Truckers throughout this documentary, which straddles a fine line between self-aggrandizing and intimately revealing. If you look past all the hyperbole (one fan claims the band has three of the best songwriters in pop music) and the well-trodden rock clichés (band drama, being on the road is tough, etc.) what's left is a well-researched documentary about a band I frankly knew nothing about. Director Barr Weissman, who will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A, began shooting in 2005 and finished editing this January. But it's precisely that time and care invested in showing the band members as they are that resonates. I prefer My Morning Jacket's style of throwback Southern classic rock over the Truckers' more frat-boy-friendly, country-infused approach, but I still enjoyed learning about these people and their art.