Country Strong (D or 1/4 stars)
I don't mind Gwyneth Paltrow. I see something in Garrett Hedlund that others don't. I enjoy country music from time to time. And I don't mind melodramas. But holy crap. 'Country Strong' (directed by Shana Feste) is one of worst films of 2010. Absolute dreck. And the movie never seems to know what the hell it's doing; the very definition of 'inept'. Moving on. The story centers on rising country-music songwriter Beau Hutton (Hedlund), who is the incidental lover of 6-time Grammy superstar Kelly Canter (Paltrow) during her stay in rehab. Beau doesn't want fame or fortune; content to write songs in obscurity & sing in Honky Tonks. The same can't be said of beauty queen-turned-singer Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester); a girl with big ambitions but a crippling stage fright. She & Beau are reluctantly teamed up by James Canter (Tim McGraw), Kelly's overbearing husband/manager, who needs an opening act for his wife's big comeback tour.
James asks Beau to look after Kelly (even though he knows that he's been sleeping with her), while he takes Chiles under his wing; grooming her to be his wife's successor on the country music circuit. Nice husband, huh? Romantic & work-related complications arise when - after initially disliking her - Beau falls for Chiles, & Kelly proves too unstable to hold herself together for a show. She goes back to drinking. She cheats with other men. Her husband, James, turns a blind eye to it. Her enormous comeback show in Dallas (the place where she last imploded; falling off the stage in a drunken stupor & miscarrying her pregnancy) goes off without a hitch. Faith is restored. Hope is restored. Fame, fortune, & personal lives seem in back in order. Or are they?
Not only is 'Country Strong' as cliched as any movie I've seen this year, but I'd say it contains the most "confused" screenplay of any movie, as well. I'll try to explain the confusions. For one, all the trailers/commercials for this film is a farce. This is no redemptive turn by Kelly Canter. It's a DOWNER of a movie. And not only does it end on a sad note, but it's a downer that the movie is as misguided as it is. Let's start with the individual characters. Kelly - we're not given any context for her alcoholism; which is treated as a cheap plot device, rather than a disease. And she's a selfish, conniving, condescending woman on top of it. Great Lead character. Great. James - he's a poor excuse for a man. He's married to Kelly & appears to love her (when the situation calls for it). But he also allows her to drink, take pills, & sleep around; even when it hinders her career; which he, as her manager, is so invested in. The character makes NO sense.
Beau - he's torn between Kelly, who he idolizes & protects (even though he drinks around her), and Chiles, a girl who he makes fun of (like an asshole), but then wants to jump her bones a short while after. Their saccharine romance felt so phony, I wanted to vomit. And Chiles is not better, herself. The character is annoying. And even when she starts turning on the charm ... she then says or does something to irk again. Acting-wise, Gwyneth Paltrow is solid, but unspectacular. I've heard her sing before. I know she's good. I've seen her cry before. I know she cries well. Tim McGraw is better than his role, here. Garrett Hedlund is appealing as the shaggy, raw-talented Beau. But his attitude rubbed me the wrong way. And Leighton Meester, while very cute, just does nothin' for me. The only thing I kind of enjoyed in this movie were the original songs. I'd listen to 'em again.
'Disjointed' is another good word to describe this film. The dramatic balance is off from the get-go. One scene we're focused on Kelly, the next Beau, the next James, then on a bird that Kelly is taking care of (hello, metaphor) - there's so little that makes sense from one sequence to the next. Just a bad, bad movie. I can't imagine too many people being satisfied or moved by 'Country Strong'. In fact, you may find people in a catatonic shock by how miserable it all is. The film throws everything at us: drunk scenes, singing scenes, adultery scenes, underdog-singer-trying-to-uproot-the-veteran scenes, crying scenes, repeat ... but nothing adds up to make a cohesive, pleasurable experience. The film is false, melodramatic (to a fault), & manipulative. Every character is ambiguous, but none of them are likeable, either. That's DISASTROUS when you're trying to find a reason to care for anyone or the movie, itself.
James asks Beau to look after Kelly (even though he knows that he's been sleeping with her), while he takes Chiles under his wing; grooming her to be his wife's successor on the country music circuit. Nice husband, huh? Romantic & work-related complications arise when - after initially disliking her - Beau falls for Chiles, & Kelly proves too unstable to hold herself together for a show. She goes back to drinking. She cheats with other men. Her husband, James, turns a blind eye to it. Her enormous comeback show in Dallas (the place where she last imploded; falling off the stage in a drunken stupor & miscarrying her pregnancy) goes off without a hitch. Faith is restored. Hope is restored. Fame, fortune, & personal lives seem in back in order. Or are they?
Not only is 'Country Strong' as cliched as any movie I've seen this year, but I'd say it contains the most "confused" screenplay of any movie, as well. I'll try to explain the confusions. For one, all the trailers/commercials for this film is a farce. This is no redemptive turn by Kelly Canter. It's a DOWNER of a movie. And not only does it end on a sad note, but it's a downer that the movie is as misguided as it is. Let's start with the individual characters. Kelly - we're not given any context for her alcoholism; which is treated as a cheap plot device, rather than a disease. And she's a selfish, conniving, condescending woman on top of it. Great Lead character. Great. James - he's a poor excuse for a man. He's married to Kelly & appears to love her (when the situation calls for it). But he also allows her to drink, take pills, & sleep around; even when it hinders her career; which he, as her manager, is so invested in. The character makes NO sense.
Beau - he's torn between Kelly, who he idolizes & protects (even though he drinks around her), and Chiles, a girl who he makes fun of (like an asshole), but then wants to jump her bones a short while after. Their saccharine romance felt so phony, I wanted to vomit. And Chiles is not better, herself. The character is annoying. And even when she starts turning on the charm ... she then says or does something to irk again. Acting-wise, Gwyneth Paltrow is solid, but unspectacular. I've heard her sing before. I know she's good. I've seen her cry before. I know she cries well. Tim McGraw is better than his role, here. Garrett Hedlund is appealing as the shaggy, raw-talented Beau. But his attitude rubbed me the wrong way. And Leighton Meester, while very cute, just does nothin' for me. The only thing I kind of enjoyed in this movie were the original songs. I'd listen to 'em again.
'Disjointed' is another good word to describe this film. The dramatic balance is off from the get-go. One scene we're focused on Kelly, the next Beau, the next James, then on a bird that Kelly is taking care of (hello, metaphor) - there's so little that makes sense from one sequence to the next. Just a bad, bad movie. I can't imagine too many people being satisfied or moved by 'Country Strong'. In fact, you may find people in a catatonic shock by how miserable it all is. The film throws everything at us: drunk scenes, singing scenes, adultery scenes, underdog-singer-trying-to-uproot-the-veteran scenes, crying scenes, repeat ... but nothing adds up to make a cohesive, pleasurable experience. The film is false, melodramatic (to a fault), & manipulative. Every character is ambiguous, but none of them are likeable, either. That's DISASTROUS when you're trying to find a reason to care for anyone or the movie, itself.