Country Strong

source: Country Strong

I don't really like country music but I like Leighton Meester was surprised by Gwyneth Paltrow's voice and thought Garrett Hedlund was good in Tron. I read a few reviews and heard it was boring and cliché. All I have to say about those reviews is ignore them they are wrong. I thought Country Strong was a great film there were a couple parts in the movie that moved a little slower than the rest of the film which just catches you, but I thought it was a great movie. It's not some great innovative thriller or some crazy take on a story; It's just a really good story with fantastic acting and a good movie that could bring a tear to your eye. I suggest you see it I just saw it a few hours ago and want to see it again already.

Country Strong is a great movie with an excellent cast. Although it is definitely a tear-jerker, it never once lost my attention. Gwenyth Paltrow plays the role of a fallen country music star, Kelly Canter, who is pushed by her controlling husband, James Canter (Tim McGraw), to continue with her career after a short stay in rehab for alcoholism. Despite the fact that Kelly knows she is not yet ready to get back out on stage, she agrees to do so under one condition: she can bring along musically-talented friend and lover, Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund), as her opening act. While Kelly struggles with her relapse into alcohol addiction, Beau finds love with young, rising star, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester), and James is left disappointed and hurt. All cast members do a great job of really embodying their roles, and Paltrow does an exceptional job of showing the struggles and depression of alcohol addiction. Although this movie is not really like any other, I would probably compare it to the movie Blow. In both movies, the main characters try to leave their addictions in the past, but are so reliant upon them that they continually relapse, which ultimately leads to their downfall.

I went into the premiere with an open mind and by the end of the film I wanted to claw my eyes out, wash them out with soap and dip my ringing ears in acid. That's how bad this cliché-ridden movie is. Talk about a paycheck film, Gwyneth must've gotten a large payday for this piece of garbage. I read somewhere that the director used to be a nanny to Toby MaGuire. How on earth did she convince him to produce this? The story was worse than a Lifetime Channel film and the writing was laughable. I sat there laughing on the inside throughout the film. If audience is any indication there was a lot of boo-ing at the end of the film and on the way out.

I actually really loved it and I too am glad I watched it despite many people not liking it enough. I liked Gwyneth and Garrett but Leighton was just amazing with her singing and her portrayal of the layered Chiles Stanton. Loved it! I am looking forward to seeing more movies of Leighton which are coming out this year and I am hoping they will be as strong. I am actually rather surprised as to why people didn't like it-...I guess they were comparing to movies made before on country music with similar story lines but I didn't mind at all! I loved the banter between Chiles and Beau - was absolutely the best part about the movie!

Since I'm fond of good country music I thought I'd give this a try, despite not being very keen on Gwyneth Paltrow. However, in this movie she gives a storming performance as a famous country singer, gradually falling apart with depression and alcohol - and she has a great voice! Yes that really is Gwyneth singing in the film. The good news doesn't end there because the supporting cast are just as good, Garret Hedlund and Leighton Meester were fantastic and so good as country singers that I immediately looked for their albums, but apart from the Country Strong Soundtrack, there aren't any! These are just great actors with great voices. Add in a strong performance from Tim McGraw (Oh why cant you just love your woman? - that's all she needs!!). With fine, layered performances from all and a storming soundtrack, this is definitely unmissable for any country music lover. I'm still humming the tunes days later. By the way, be careful if buying the soundtrack album. There are two! The first has other artists covering many of the film's songs and though it's a good album, isn't strictly from the soundtrack in every case. The second album, with the same name, seems to have original performances from the film, but was out of stock and I have it on back order. I think this is the more popular one. Anyway, if, like me, you don't watch films that score less than about 6 on IMDb, make this one an exception. You wont regret it!

Aside from the storyline of the tumultuous Kelly Canter and her trying team, what a surprise enjoyment this film was for me! The music was just incredible... Paltrow, Hedlund, and Meester could all be country stars with those voices of theirs (and those incredible hooks they get to sing). Already a fan of Paltrow despite her choices in projects, this film reaffirmed her talent for me. She made strong choices in handling the emotional layers of addiction and was reborn from 'Goop'-y mom to a bona fide country singer. And Hedlund and Meester: what bright futures they both have. The two truly were magnificent, and Hedlund's chemistry with both Paltrow and Meester was infectious. Writer/director Shana Feste did a superb job at balancing the music and the story, weaving the on-stage performances into the emotional journey of the characters. And she got a great performance out McGraw who I tend to believe is usually stiff when it comes to his acting. BOTTOM LINE, all I can say is this... I didn't expect to love it. I didn't expect to buy the soundtrack immediately afterward. And country music isn't my favorite. But Feste and co. have made me a believer!

This movie is really good ! I mean what more can you expect out of an Un-authorized biography of Britney spears? LOL, its endearing,has great acting and AMAZING music, it builds the foundation of the plot, and tells the story,but its not some crazy musical where people just starts coming out of bushes and singing OH HAPPY DAAAY! No,instead of that you got 4 lead characters (the 'comeback',the 'cowboy',the 'beauty queen' and the 'hurt husband-manager') that have true meaningful stories and that were written in very human ways to really touch the audience,bringing out all sorts of emotions, the story does have cheesy aspects to it,but its not a cheesy movie by any mean, its money well spent, go check it out ;) PS: Not giving too much away, the ending is great, and the love story between Chiles and Beau is LOVELY :D

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.

This is a decent movie but not one that I loved. The singing in the movie is top notch except for 1 or 2 of Paltrow's songs which were just okay. These are some seriously talented people. Huge surprise that Leighton Meester is a terrific singer. You might know her from Gossip Girl. You probably already know the synopsis -- alcoholic singer goes back on the road to try and reclaim her past star status pushed along by her manager/husband. She bonds with a young male singer/guitar player who she brings along on her mini-tour who, despite the best of intentions, can't quite pull her out of her addictive cycle. Leighton Meester plays a very sympathetic and likable character who is just trying to live her dream...she's brought along on the tour by the husband/manager. Overall, it was a depressing movie....to see someone battling addiction and how it eventually wears down the people around them to the point where they look like they are nasty (poor McGraw) when in reality they are just tired of the cycle of self-destruction. What was entertaining and enjoyable about the movie was the songs and the concert scenes. It was a nice movie to go see on a snowy night....doubtful that I would rent it once it became available or buy it on DVD...which is kind of the benchmark for me on what is a good movie. You won't waste your money seeing it but you'll probably wish you'd seen it at a reduced price or at the matinée if you paid full price.