Country Strong casts Gwyneth Paltrow as a country music legend like Loretta Lynn, but who's had her problems and is substance abusing in the tradition of Judy Garland. Her husband and manager Tim McGraw is trying to get Paltorw established on a comeback tour, but he's also got eyes for Leighton Meester who is an eager singer/songwriter with a case of stage fright. Not that Paltrow is letting the grass grow under her feet, she's got big eyes for hunky Garrett Hedlund who is her opening act in the comeback tour.
So this happy bunch of people are all traveling through red state America trying to be as discreet as possible and not succeeding to terribly much. But all of them are concerned with Paltrow because she's the key to everyone's future. And she's really not wrapped too tight, having guilt pangs over a drunken fall off a stage which induced a miscarriage.
Of the quartet of stars only McGraw is a genuine country singer, but the others are all pretty good players and are the best country singers they can pretend to be. They all do their own music and convincingly.
Paltrow who's probably seen enough performers tobogganing on the downward slope of a career through friends and acquaintances that she soaked up their experiences like a sponge for her role. I do love her scene with Meester where she gives advice in the way that Ben Franklin dispensed it from Poor Richard's Almanac. Such important things as not depending too much on laxatives. At my age I can relate to that.
Garrett Hedlund as matured really nice from the callow roles he played like Patroclus in Troy or the youngest brother in Four Brothers. And he's not a bad country singer either.
The song Going Home got an Oscar nomination for Best Song in 2010. I think the future of musicals might just reside in Nashville. We will see more films like Country Strong with a country based musical score in the future.
Especially if you are a country music fan you will like Country Strong.
So this happy bunch of people are all traveling through red state America trying to be as discreet as possible and not succeeding to terribly much. But all of them are concerned with Paltrow because she's the key to everyone's future. And she's really not wrapped too tight, having guilt pangs over a drunken fall off a stage which induced a miscarriage.
Of the quartet of stars only McGraw is a genuine country singer, but the others are all pretty good players and are the best country singers they can pretend to be. They all do their own music and convincingly.
Paltrow who's probably seen enough performers tobogganing on the downward slope of a career through friends and acquaintances that she soaked up their experiences like a sponge for her role. I do love her scene with Meester where she gives advice in the way that Ben Franklin dispensed it from Poor Richard's Almanac. Such important things as not depending too much on laxatives. At my age I can relate to that.
Garrett Hedlund as matured really nice from the callow roles he played like Patroclus in Troy or the youngest brother in Four Brothers. And he's not a bad country singer either.
The song Going Home got an Oscar nomination for Best Song in 2010. I think the future of musicals might just reside in Nashville. We will see more films like Country Strong with a country based musical score in the future.
Especially if you are a country music fan you will like Country Strong.