Looking for Ms. Locklear – Film Review
Using only word of mouth, two lifelong best friends and Internet comedians, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, embark on a search for the long-lost teacher of the first-grade class where they met. Their journey leads them deep into the heart of an obscure tribe of Native Americans, the Lumbee of North Carolina. Serendipitously, Rhett & Link arrive on the scene at the very climax of the tribe’s century-long political struggle for identity. In a day of mobile devices that allow for a multitude of superficial connections with other ‘users,’ the unforgettable characters in Looking for Ms. Locklear serve as a reminder that people have more to say than an email or text message can communicate.
I’ll never forget the first time I watched Good Mythical Morning, Rhett and Link’s daily morning YouTube talk show. It was 2014 and one of my best friends and I just got back from the movie theatre watching X-Men: Days of Future Past (an amazing movie and perhaps the best of the entire franchise). After we watched the film, we both agreed we wanted to hang out for a little bit longer, so he went back to my house and we spent a little while surfing through various different websites, watching funny videos, etc.
We then stumbled upon a channel with around a million or so subscribers titled “Good Mythical Morning”. Curious, we clicked on a video to see what they were all about. From that point on, we were absolutely hooked with their personalities, fun videos, and overall great vibes they radiated. The whole show is a form of comfort for millions of people all around the world, including myself.
Courtesy of RhettandLinKreations
I’ve been actively watching their videos for the past seven years and have never grown tired of them and their content. I don’t think I ever will to be honest. But despite the fact that the Good Mythical Morning YouTube channel is immensely popular, not too many people outside of die-hard mythical beasts know that the internet duo actually made a documentary film in 2008 titled Looking for Ms. Locklear.
Back in 2014 when I became a megafan, I remember checking it out and thinking it was incredibly beautiful, which is why I was so happy to discover that all these years later, it is still every bit as touching and emotionally strong.
The film does suffer a little bit in terms of pacing, though. The first act is relatively slow and nothing all that exciting or memorable happens. The two friends talk to one man who they think may have information about Ms. Locklear, and it’s here where the movie takes a little bit of a rest. Gratefully, after this, Looking for Ms. Locklear transforms into a behemoth of a documentary that will touch your heart.
It’s filled to the brim with a sense of love and care and it’s made all the more miraculous when you think about how simplistic its concept is. Two lifelong best friends embark on a journey to find their second-grade teacher. The teacher that brought them together. But as Looking for Ms. Locklear proves – friendship is one of the most powerful things in the world. You’d be surprised by how moving this underrated documentary really is.
Looking for Ms. Locklear is an incredibly touching and emotionally strong documentary about the power of friendship.
Overall Grade: A
MPAA Rating: 14A
Cast: Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal
Directed by: Rhett McLaughlin, Link Neal
Distributed by: RhettandLinKreations
Release Date: July 23, 2008
Running Time: 57 minutes