Country Strong (2010) Reviews

• Country Strong: Is this movie country music fans have been waiting for?

  ghost_dog862011-01-14

  "Country Strong", a surprisingly good film (even if you live in California and don't happen to like country music). Starring Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man), Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl), "Country Strong" succeeds in doing exactly what it sets out to do; that is make a dramatic film about country music that is also entertaining. I know a lot of critics will not agree with me, but in the midst of the awards season this is the one film, not nominated for a big time award, that is worth spending your money on. Side Note: Oh, and if you're only reading this review to find out if Gwyneth Paltrow can sing, the answer is yes she can. But if you had seen "Duets", then you already knew that she could. Synopsis: A story that follows fallen country music superstar Kelly Canter (Paltrow) as she is released from rehab and attempts a comeback concert. There is also another, and all around better, storyline that follows the rise of two up and coming country music artists Beau Hutton and Chiles Stanton (Hedlund and Meester), as they try to find out what path to take through the harsh and unforgiving world of the country music industry. Yes, "Country Strong" may seem a bit to predictable for some and yes, it does lag a bit in the middle of the film (mostly pertaining to Paltrow's scenes), but it does redeem itself with a vengeance in the final 30 minutes of the film. The storyline is really well thought out, the character development here is potent and the acting (including the singing), for the most part, is excellent. Unequivocally the one actor to take note of in this film is Hedlund, who steals the show with his performance of a country boy/country music purist. His chemistry on screen with just about everyone including the microphone is so authentic, that whenever he is on-screen he literally makes the movie better. Any and all issues I have with this film surprisingly fall directly on the performance of Paltrow. She plays an aging alcoholic Country superstar with as much heart as she can muster, but overall she is sadly uninteresting to watch for most of the film. Final Thought: "Country Strong" is currently getting raked through the mud by critics for its simplistic storyline, but let me tell you this: anyone (and I mean anyone) who is a fan of Country music will undoubtedly love this film. And even if the Country twang is not your bang, this is a strong enough drama to keep you in your seat. This is no "Crazy Heart" (so no nominations to be found here), but "Country Strong" is still entertaining enough for me to strongly recommend.

  More

• A deep and terrific movie

  cwdub2011-01-29

  I just saw this movie today. I cannot understand why it was rated so poorly and it just shows that I am glad I don't listen to the critics. There are so many that don't like it because they compare it to past movies that are somewhat similar. I have seen very few movies like this especially ones that are based on country so I came in very unbiased. Just take the movie for what it is...on it's own...for a great script and story! The acting was sensational. The singing which was done by the actors themselves was fabulously passionate and real. Gwyneth, Garrett, and especially Leighton...WOW! The story line??? Big deal if it is "similar" to others. This movie seemed so very real to what it could actually be like. Gwyneth's acceptance to "be" the character she has to be was remarkable. She had humor...terrific talent and as a woman/wife who's husband had forgotten how to be a husband and partner (no offense Tim...you were great too)...she was passionate and playful yet sad and lost. Once again she showed how wonderful and talented an actress she really is. Garrett and Leighton played their roles very professionally...very real and we need to see more of them. I love this movie. It had a profound affect on me being a musician and someone who had felt the "loss of hope" the exact same way Kelly did in this movie. If the critics hadn't beaten it up so much...this movie would have rocked at the box office! Top marks to all involved. Thank you for doing this!

  More

• "Country Strong" Plays Both Kinds of Music - Country and Western

  jgregg422011-01-07

  What do I know about country music? I own a few Johnny Cash albums. I never jumped on the Billy Ray Cyrus bandwagon. I never tried to impress a girl by pretending Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift is my type of music, and I can honestly say I have never participated in a line dance. So, what was I doing at a screening of "Country Strong?" Maybe it was because I knew that this genre of music has millions of fans worldwide and a long history going back several decades. With that extensive history, the music and the performers have a chivalrous quality. The film begins with Beau Hutton (played by Garrett Hedlund) and Kelly Canter (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) both in an alcohol rehab facility. Kelly was once a six-time Grammy winner in this fictional country world. It is implied that something awful happened in Dallas due to her drinking problem and that is why she is in rehab now. "Dallas" soon becomes code for "rock bottom" throughout the story. Beau works at the rehab facility as Kelly's sponsor (a sponsor who drinks, but her sponsor none the less) and is also a country music singer. Kelly's husband/ manager (who is about 20 percent husband and 80 percent manager) James Canter (played by Tim McGraw) comes to pick up Kelly from rehab. Instantly there is tension between James and Beau. McGraw does a great job of playing the reserved yet highly focused and determined manager of Kelly's career. James pulls Kelly out of rehab early to reboot her career. It was never stated that he was doing this for money. The underlying issues of James have something to do more with money than with fame. James recruits a young beauty queen, Chiles Stanton (played by Leighton Meester) to open for Kelly's comeback tour. Again there is tension between James and Beau. Beau doesn't want to open for Kelly; he wants to stay true to the music by playing in the honky tonk bars and not do it for the money. How noble. Beau also has an instant love/ hate with Chiles and sees right through her phoniness. Beau and Chiles represent the two sub genres of country music. Beau wants to have a good time singing country tunes while Chiles wants the pop stardom and to sing songs that have titles like rides at Disneyland (that was a joke from the movie). Kelly's first show is a disaster. An event from her past (yep, you guessed it, Dallas) comes back to rattle her and she goes back to drinking. James graciously forces Kelly onto stage where she has a breakdown. For much of the film there was a series of relapses for Kelly followed by fits of her crying followed by instantaneous sobriety. I hope the studio was paying Paltrow by the tear drop; she would have made millions off that deal alone. The story goes from a love triangle to pretty much a love rectangle between the four main characters. We move into a series of romances on the tour between three of the stars. Beau wants Kelly. Kelly wants Beau, her husband and her booze. Chiles only wants Beau. Then Beau wants Chiles. James really just wants to be left alone while he works on his business deals. The story finally climaxes to Kelly's big finale in Dallas (yes, the same "Dallas" as before) where all three of the top stars give great performances. To add a the dramatic element, before each musician gives their superb concerts they have one-on-one heart-to-heart talks in the dressing rooms letting each other know how they feel about each other. Should you see this movie? Maybe, if you are a fan of country music you might appreciate it a little more than I did. If you are a casual listener, there might not be enough to hold your attention. It did give a great view of what goes on behind the scenes of the music industry. The performances and singing by the cast were amazing (McGraw, the only real country music singer in the film, doesn't sing a single note). The ending was unique because it was something new to this type of film. It does end like an old country song.

  More

• Loved it! But I do love Country Music.

  scarlet9182011-01-08

  I loved this movie. It wasn't what I expected at all, but I really enjoyed it and did tear up a couple of times. I have to say I am very surprised by the harsh reviews by critics and some of the users on here! The movie is a bit too long at almost 2 hours. I think a couple of the acting scenes were repetitive, but I am glad they did not cut any of the music they had. There is a LOT of music but the actors all pull it off quite well, with some of the songs actually being recognizable as real country songs if you are familiar with the genre. I must admit I am a huge country music fan and I like all country, not just the newer pop stuff. So take my review knowing that. However, I did take 3 people with me to the advance screening and 2 of them listen to NO country music. All 4 of us thought the movie was great. Three of us cried. I think the previews are marketing the movie all wrong. It looks like it will be an uplifting film that shows us the bad stuff in the beginning, then maybe a bump or two, then everybody winds up happy and "Country Strong." This is not the case at all. It is a sad look at addiction but I think more realistic than someone coming out of rehab and everything being sunshine and lollipops. The characters are all flawed, with perhaps Beau being the only one who comes out in a mostly positive light, but even he has his issues and is far from perfect. It also looks like Gwyneth is the only lead in the previews, but all 4 major characters have quite a large amount of time on screen and I think Beau has the same (or maybe even more) screen time as Gwyneth. I had never heard of this actor (had no clue he has the lead in TRON) and I came home to look him up immediately because I thought surely he was a real up and coming country singer. Gwyneth's voice is really good, and if Garrett or Leighton ever made a country album, I would buy it. Tim doesn't sing in the movie but has a song on the soundtrack, but that was the way he wanted it and I respect him for that. This was the first movie of Tim's where I did forget at least a couple of times that I was looking at "THE" Tim McGraw. He was fine in Blindside, but it was a small role. If you have a passionate hatred for country, I do not think you will enjoy the movie because there is a lot of singing in it. However, you do not need to love country as I do to enjoy it. If you can so much as tolerate it or accept the singers as being talented, I think you'll be fine. I plan to buy the soundtrack, but wish it had more from Garrett and Leighton because they each sang a lot more than 1 song in the movie!

  More

• The Last Call for Alcohol (spoilers)

  starryeydsurprize2011-07-25

  I'll be honest. I am NOT a country music fan. Nor am I a fan of country music movies, westerns, or anything that has cowboy boots in it. That being said, I just finished watching Country Strong and I have to readjust my views a bit. I still dislike westerns intensely but I now have a country music movie to add to my list of favorites. It could be the very pretty cast of actors, or it could be the engrossing storyline, or it just might be the music that had me swaying in my seat, whatever it was, I left the movie as a devoted fan. This gripping movie is about a country megastar named Kelly Canter, played by the illustrious Gwyneth Paltrow and her rocky journey through the world of alcoholism. The movie boasts a well put-together cast, starring Tim McGraw as Kelly's husband/manager, James, Garrett Hedlund as her sponsor and opener, Beau Hutton, and Leighton Meester as the up and coming country singer, Chiles Stanton. The movie starts out in a rinky-dink dance hall in Nashville, Tennessee. You can hear the gravelly voice of Beau Hutton telling a story about wanting to sing like Merle Haggard for his mom's benefit. She tells him that he sounds good but he's no Merle. Beau then launches into a Merle-esque song, Chances Are, and it was the first time that a country song actually made me swoon. Beau is a good ol' boy, wearing his stained and weathered cowboy hat and driving a rusted-out truck. It turns out; he is also Kelly Canter's sponsor in rehab. Kelly's husband checks her out of rehab a month early, against Beau's better judgment. James believes that getting her "back on the horse," and touring again will get her healthy faster than being in a rehab center. James come across as money-hungry, however, throughout the movie we learn that he does love his wife and only wants the best for her. As Kelly's manager, he is in charge of finding new talent to open for Kelly. He goes to see a former beauty queen with a surprisingly good voice named Chiles Stanton. Chiles is an extremely pretty, young girl with an exaggerated Texan accent. She wears too much make-up and has her hair full and curly. "I don't know what's bigger, the hair or the dress" is how the stage manager describes her. She seems very confident when you first meet her; however, as soon as she gets onstage, she freezes up. She is rescued valiantly by Beau Hutton, who was the performer before her. Chiles' fresh-faced look appeals to the audience once her stage fright is past. With her glittering outfit, high heels, and make-up, she truly looks like a country Barbie. After James hears both Beau and Chiles singing, he decides to offer the opening acts to both of them. He also, reluctantly, wants Beau along to help him watch over Kelly. James recognizes that Kelly is going to need a lot of help while on the road. The scene where James asks Beau to tour with them demonstrates just how palpable the animosity is between the two men. The acrimony turns out to be precognizant of the situation because Beau and Kelly are indeed having an affair. During the tour, we learn of the reason that Kelly is in rehab. Several months ago, in Dallas, Kelly was drunk onstage, tripped over a cable, and fell 10 feet off the stage. She was five months pregnant at the time and lost the baby, as a result of the fall. The guilt she feels over the incident keeps her drinking until rehab. James tries to love her in spite of the miscarriage, but you can feel the blame he places on her. There is a touching scene between James and Kelly where he says "The first time I heard you sing, I knew. I wasn't much of a church man, but I thought that must be what angels sound like. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven." You can sense just how much this couple has been through in their marriage. The tour starts and stutters along with Beau and Chiles carrying the responsibility while Kelly is drinking herself from town to town. The depression is dragging Kelly down and she makes numerous mistakes. Beau and Chiles start to have feelings for each other because they are thrown together in so many scenes. They have a charming scene where they sing a duet together and just watching them on the big screen, you can feel the chemistry between them. The relationship between James and Kelly, however, is disintegrating bit by bit. You can see the strength and fortitude that Kelly has, even as her marriage and career are crumbling around her. She gears up to go back to Dallas, on a repeat tour, even though that was where she lost her baby and embarrassed herself earlier that year. In Dallas, Kelly seems a different person. She is driven and confident. The loyalty of her fans seems to boost her esteem and she does what she can to stay sober. There is a scene before the concert between Beau and Chiles, where he informs her that he is leaving the show and heading to California. He asks Chiles to go with him and she is unable to give him the answer he wants. The disappointment on his face is touching. Some critics may say that Country Strong is cheesy, clichéd, and predictable but I found that not to be true. I felt the desperation of Kelly's predicament and the doomed love of her marriage. I found the relationship between Beau and Chiles to be refreshing and romantic. And most of all, I found the music to be stirring and award-winning. Maybe it will never win an Oscar, but it's still two thumbs up from me!

  More