MUST remember never to see a film that goes straight to DVD.
Yes yes I know I always seem to break this rule and I'm invariably dissapointed.
I must say the trailer for "Country Strong" had me chomping at the bit. Country music movies have always had my vote. There have been some pearlers over the years- "Coal Miners Daughter" "Walk the Line" and more recently "Crazy Heart"
These movies like the songs within them are intoxicating. I cant seem to get enough of the plights of lonely and mistreated wives and their tough talking alcoholic cowboys.
"Country Strong" definitely delivered on the music front. Songs like "Coming home" "Words I couldn't say" or "A little bit stronger" all fit the bill here and some were even nominated for an Oscar for best original song.
Unfortunately the rest of the film was a fair waste of time.
You'd have to be Gomar Pyle to believe the plot that Shana Feste concocted here. The sporadic status between underdeveloped characters was difficult to watch. Sometimes I felt like I was watching a bad episode of "The Young and the Restless"
The corny script made me reach for the sick bag more than once. Gwyneth Paltrows' character "Kelly" made one devastating faux pas after the next. If she wasn't having sex with her manager or skulling a bottle of vodka,she was passing out on stage. Although after visiting a dying kid,she miraculously comes good and goes onto give the performance of her life as well as giving advice to her young protege- "Falling in love honey,that's all there is in life..." Deep...
As any alcoholic will tell you it takes five years for the fog to lift; not three hours.
In saying that there was some good acting here. Big hunk of spunk Tim McGraw was well cast as "James" the long suffering husband to Kelly. This co dependent matrimonial arrangement is all too common. One fucks up,the other cleans up and no one gets out alive. Tim's conversion from real life country singer to screen has been effortless. He doesn't miss any cues and his portrayal of "James" denotes real depth and clarity. I just hope they don't typecast the poor bastard in the future.
Gwyneth too puts in a solid performance. She carefully illustrates the child like nature of the addict. That is highly emotional and volatile when they don't get their own way.
Infuriating one minute,utterly adorable the next. She had the southern accent and doey eyes down pat. Perhaps a little too beautiful for this highly flawed character. Yes blondie you can do it all. Its a shame it wasn't a better movie to showcase all your talents.
As for the two kids,well. The young "Beau" played by Garrett Hedland was mediocre at best. His blue eyes and bum fluff did nothing for me. Perhaps he could shake it on "Friday Nights Lights" but he seemed somewhat out of place here.We may decide to lay blame again with director Shana Feste. Not only for casting someone too young, but for allowing such over the top lip syncing to be screened.
Leighton Meester as "Chiles Stanton" (the up and coming country star) is nice enough;she is certainly no Sissy Spaceck ("Coal Miners Daughter"). The love story created between these two young characters is contrived and vaccuous . But again perfectly good actors drown in bad scripts and poorly woven plots. This was no exception.
By the time the ending came, I was playing angry birds on my i phone and planning my scathing attack on this movie.
All said and done, as I move into 2012,my New Years Resolution is to not be so black and white and to live in the grey. In this way "Country Strong" like any hot headed cowboy has its pros and its prickles.
"You may fool me and I'll fall
But I won't stay down long
'Cause I'm country strong"
(lyrics from "Country Strong")
Jax, I liked this more than you, but I saw it at a theater where we tend to focus more on the movie. Some good points you make, especially on the timeline (three instead of five years, for example).
ReplyDeleteYes, there was some dreadful lip syncing. Blame the director, he's usually the one signing off on these things.