Country Strong
There are some times when I’m truly struck by my weakness for cliche. Most typically it happens for me with sports underdog movies. The other time it happens is with movies about musicians. Writer-director Shana Feste’s “Country Strong” broke down my defenses hard.
Gwyneth Paltrow shines as Kelly Canter, a country singer who is just getting out of rehab. Her last show (in Dallas) was a spectacular favor after her mixture of drink and pills caused her to fall off the stage and lose her child; she was five months pregnant at the time. Her husband/manager, James (country star Tim McGraw, who gives another solid performance for anyone who remembers his turn in the movie “Friday Night Lights”), is taking her out early for a three-show tour in Texas. He’s not taking any chances, though; along for the ride is Beau (Garrett Hedlund), a young singer who claims to be Kelly’s “sponsor,” and Chiles Stanton (Leigh Meester), a young rising star whom James thinks will help the tour stay afloat. The question: Will Kelly be able to stay afloat?
If you’ve seen the trailers (or read the above paragraph) I’m sure you can see where this film is headed. It’s a tried-and-true story of redemption, love, and music. And I’ll be damned if I didn’t fall for it hook, line, and sinker. It’s not as strong a film as last year’s “Crazy Heart” with its great, Oscar-winning performance by Jeff Bridges, but it’s a great melodrama, the likes of which make for great country songs (of which this film has plenty, sung beautifully by Paltrow, Hedlund, and Meester). Will Kelly find a way to put her past behind her? Will Beau and Chiles find love or gain fame? Again, if you’ve seen the trailers, you probably already know the answers to those questions. But Feste and her actors make you care about the characters enough to see how it all plays out. Having some good music to listen to? That’s just a bonus.
