Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

dansview I liked the opening.It showed a humble, scruffy young country singer playing a non-descript low-brow gig, then driving his old pick up truck, while changing into his uniform for his shift at a psychiatric hospital.Oh jeez...Gwyneth Paltrow as a famous country singer? Give me a break. In fact, Gwyneth Paltrow as anything other than the untalented daughter of a Hollywood writer? Give me a break. I didn't buy it for a second.Nothing against Tim McGraw, but one has to have more than a Southern accent to be an effective actor. What are his qualifications? He's awkward.The best thing about this movie is Garrett Hedlund. He has charisma like a big movie star might. The music sucked and the plot was non-existent. But this actor kept me watching for about half the film, before I gave up.Alcoholism is such a boring and clichéd plot device. The screw-up country star and the hungry up-and-coming, aspiring country singer theme is equally clichéd.Show me something different. How about a country singer who wants to sing opera or funk? Or a country singer who wants to be a reporter, but can't break free from who they are? I don't see how anyone could actually believe that this sanctimonious, paint-by-numbers trash would entertain anyone. Yet plenty of reviewers here liked it. Go figure.

hall895 Country Strong is not what it may seem. The way the movie was marketed may have led some to believe it was a story of a country star triumphing over her personal demons and fending off a younger rival. That sounds like it could be a pretty fun movie. But that's not what this movie really is. Country Strong is much more about those personal demons than it is about any fun. That makes it a much more downbeat, at times outright depressing, movie than you might have expected. That doesn't mean it is a bad movie, just a surprising one. How you react to those surprises will influence how you ultimately feel about the movie.Gwyneth Paltrow plays Kelly Canter, the troubled country star. She's an alcoholic, she's popping pills, she's depressed, she's got anxiety issues and she's consumed by guilt over her role in a recent tragic event. She's certainly in no condition to be out on tour. But her husband James, who doubles as her manager, prematurely checks her out of rehab and puts her out on the road. Suffice to say the tour does not go smoothly. Kelly desperately needs someone to look after her and she insists that young Beau Hutton be on the tour as her opening act. Beau was an orderly at Kelly's rehab facility and he and Kelly became close. Really, really close if you catch my drift. Beau is a guy perfectly happy to play his music in dive bars in front of a few dozen people. But now he's the opening act for a superstar. Well one of the opening acts anyway. Kelly's husband has plucked young Chiles Stanton, a living, breathing country Barbie doll, from obscurity and brought her out on tour. His interest in her is clearly more than professional. So it's a very tangled web and that's even before the seemingly inevitable hooking up of Beau and Chiles. This tour is a mess on stage and off.Country Strong has a pretty simple story but the melodrama is laid on pretty thick. It is a bit much at times. But whatever failings the story may have are mostly redeemed by a very good cast. Paltrow does an excellent job portraying a woman who is spiraling out of control. Your heart aches for Kelly as she is pushed into a spotlight she is not equipped to handle. Since it is James doing the pushing he is not going to come across as a very sympathetic character. But while you might not like the guy he is playing Tim McGraw does a very credible job in the part. Leighton Meester is very good as the ambitious, but rather naive, Chiles. As Chiles grows in confidence as the tour goes on we see a star blossoming before our eyes. But while the movie sets her up as Kelly's potential rival there is still a sweetness to Chiles even as she finds more success. Credit to Meester for creating such an embraceable character. The biggest standout in the cast is Garrett Hedlund playing Beau. The relationships Beau has with Kelly, with James, with Chiles are complicated to say the least. And in playing the role Hedlund weaves his way through those entanglements expertly. Beau is a guy who is so good at heart and as the movie goes on you realize it is really his story being told more than Kelly's. That makes Hedlund's performance critical and he meets the challenge.The story is rather bleak but Country Strong does have its fun moments. The songs aren't irresistibly catchy but most of them are good enough, and lively enough, to bring a smile to your face. With Paltrow's character in such dire straits, and with country superstar McGraw playing a guy who doesn't actually sing, it is left mostly to Hedlund and Meester to carry the musical side of the movie. And they hold up very well. They never look or sound out of place up on stage. And Paltrow does get a moment or two. She maintains a prim, proper image, you don't really expect Gwyneth Paltrow to have a lot of honky-tonk in her. Can she cut loose and have some fun? Yes she can. Her most energetic number is entitled Shake That Thing and Paltrow indeed shakes that thing. So there is some fun to be had. But overall County Strong has a much more serious edge to it than you might expect. If you're looking for lighthearted fun you have definitely come to the wrong place. But ultimately the film succeeds, just maybe not in the way you expected it to. Its story is more powerful than you would have imagined, country strong indeed.

Ashley Kay If you don't like the South or the country genre, watch this film simply for the versatility of its cast. It shows just how total-package Paltrow, Hedlund, Meester, and McGraw really are. I found Paltrow to be a very believable country personality and her accent was just right, not over-the-top and ridiculous like a lot of other non-southern actors who've acted in southern roles (think "Beans" from Rango). Gwyneth is slow to show her powerful vocals - you'll have to be patient while her character builds up, but it's well worth it. In addition to the actors' abilities, I really loved the "Kelly" (Paltrow) and "Beau" (Hedlund) characters. Kelly is very vulnerable and fragile. She is candid about what she feels and I respect that much more than being prideful and keeping your hurt inside as if you are rock solid (when you know you aren't). Beau is deep and serious, with all the pros and cons that come with being pensive and very caring of others. He feels everyone's fears and pain in addition to his own and it sort of wears him down and makes him moody and severe. Overall I found the film charming, the soundtrack is one you'll actually want to buy. "Give In To Me", "Home", "Me And Tennessee", and "Country Strong" are my favorites. They aren't fads, really I find these tracks timeless.

edwagreen With its Marilyn Monroe like ending, "Country Strong" is rather a benign affair with Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead role, attempting a comeback after a disastrous tour in Dallas.Even with her faithful manager-husband,Paltrow is unsteady and can't seem to get it all together until a visit to a clinic with a leukemia stricken youngster appeared to set her straight. After giving a great performance at Dallas, where she had bombed previously,Paltrow seemed to get it right only to fall victim to the pills again. Did she take too many by accident or was it a suicide attempt?The film has that deep southern charm where the music emanates from. As is the case with films dealing with this kind of music, it is rather slow moving.The young woman trying to make a name for herself and the rising male rock star both represent hope for the industry, but not for the film.