Title: Country Strong (2010)
Genre: Drama
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester
Rating: PG-13 (alcohol abuse and sexual situations)
COUNTRY STRONG follows the story a young singer named Beau (Hedlund) who ends up on tour with damaged-goods singing sensation Kelly Canter (Paltrow) in the position of her opening act/boy toy/AA sponser (?). Yeah, that's as awkward as it sounds. Also on tour are Kelly husband James (McGraw) and shy but ambitious ingenue Chiles Stanton (Meester). When James decides to get Kelly out of rehab before she's, well, rehabbed, her would-be comback tour turns into a downward spiral of despair. The movie attempts to shine a light on the effects of substance abuse and the perils of fame, with some hard-won life lessons thrown in for free.
Let me start out by saying I liked this movie, though I realize it has some flaws. Good stuff first. I think the cast acted the heck out of what they were given. The characters were interesting and complex and left me with lots to talk about with my husband, which is always a good sign. Paltrow's performance as damaged singer struggling to find redemption was touching (and her singing wasn't half bad, either). Hedlund was the weak link in the acting chain, IMHO, but I didn't mind because the boy can
sing. LOVED him. The music overall is definitely a big part of what I liked about this movie. You can
go here to listen to one of my favorite tracks. I'll wait.
Now bad stuff. The story itself was melodramatic and cliched. It hit just about every backstage drama cliche that I can think of: stars sleeping around with wanna-bes, experienced singer giving advice to newbie, the hovering crew, the dramatic walk to the stage with everyone watching, the drinking and carrying on. COUNTRY STRONG has got it all. Unfortunately, in this case that's not a good thing.
For me, this movie was a good fit. The strength of the acting and music was enough to carry the weak plot. I know it won't work for everyone, though.
