Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

gab-14712 Director Robert Altman impressed me with this two earlier directorial efforts M.A.S.H and McCabe and Mrs. Miller, but I believe he really comes into his own with 1975's Nashville. The way he directed his movie and the way he made it a very intelligent movie with many important themes but can be understood by the general public is just outstanding. However, if you don't keep up with the movie, you can be sure to get lost in the overload of information Altman throws at you. On paper, the film may seem like a mess but it's really not. The film really does not have an overall plot, but it has interwoven segments that are related with each other and I'll discuss a little bit later on. This film is full of unique performances from an unusually large cast. It's not unusual that there are many characters, but how many major characters there are. There are approximately 25 major speaking roles, and that has to be some sort of record. But all the performances are wonderful and unique and you feel for each character in the country music setting of Nashville.So what exactly is this film about? Well, that's really hard to pinpoint as there is no one big linear plot line. It is essentially about a group of people living life in Nashville during a political-happy time (kind of reminds me of the current 2016 political race). But let's break down the plot into the little segments. We have Barbara Jean (Ronee Blackley) who is the current reigning country queen of Nashville, but health problems is causing her to fall apart and she also later becomes a symbol for political assassination. Then we have Delbert (Ned Beatty) and Linnea Reese (Lily Tomlin) who live a rather sad life because of a failing marriage and trying to take care of two deaf children. Delbert is involved in a politics as he is trying to bring politics and country music together. Then we have a British journalist named Opal (Geraldine Chaplin) who decides to get into the thick of events within the Nashville scene. As the famed movie critic Roger Ebert paraphrases what this movie is about, it's many things. A musical, a docudrama about life in Nashville, a political story that was influenced by events like the Watergate scandal, and it is also a satire about country music.With such a large ensemble, I was surprised how much Altman was able to get from all of his characters. They were superbly written and the performances were genuine. Many of the characters do their own singing, and you can tell they are not professional singers. While the voices may not be the best ones ever, I loved the raw, edgy sound with added to the realism of the performances. The film is not composed of big stars (at the time or even by today's standards), but they often hit the spot. I loved Ronee Blackley's performance as the country queen, Barbara Jean. Her singing is decent, but she brings a sensitive side to her character and she is involved in a big political showdown at the end of the movie. She reminds me of a similar real-life country singer, Loretta Lynn. Lily Tomlin delivered one heck of a impressive performance as the mother of two deaf children. I relate to her character because I suffer from partial deafness myself and I understand her pains. She brings such vulnerability to her character. Ned Beatty does a good job in playing the asshole husband who doesn't care about his family but only about his job. We have very early performances from future stars from the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Scott Glenn, and Keith Carradine (who was impressive as a rock singer). Henry Gibson does a solid job as another famous country star named Haven Hamilton (and did have a good voice).So there were many aspects to the plot I thoroughly enjoyed. I enjoyed the rather brutal satire on country music which gathered criticism from people within this industry. But my favorite was the political aspect of the movie. Maybe its because history and politics go hand in hand or maybe we are living in a political-happy environment at current time, but I feel like the politics aspect hold up strongly. I like the random scenes where we have this political party in support of a candidate named Hal Philip Walker whom we never meet, but his presence is always known. His politics and the country stars end up clashing in the end for a very powerful ending.Overall, I really enjoyed Nashville. I don't think it's good of a masterpiece of Altman's earlier McCabe and Mrs. Miller but this is his more mainstream effort. But use that word "mainstream" lightly because Altman brings his complicated style of directing to this movie. His use of the actors and his political and social commentary is widely shown throughout the film. As I say for most of Altman's films, they are not for everyone. This film has excellent performances from everyone with my favorite performance coming from Lily Tomlin. There is an hour of music recorded for the film and despite the inexperience of the singers, the music mostly works with the film. Nominated for 5 Oscars and a 9 Golden Globes (a record that still holds today), Nashville is a solid work of filmmaking.My Grade: A-

arfdawg-1 The Plot. Over the course of a few hectic days, numerous interrelated people prepare for a political convention as secrets and lies are surfaced and revealed.This was a big hit when it came out in the 70s. Unfortunately, today it's a dated and somewhat trite relic. Altman had a very spotty hit and miss career.This may have been a hit 40 ears ago but it doesn't stand up today. Henry Gibson is WAY mis cast with a phony accent. The political discourse hasn't changed in 40 years only today it's far more violent.The inter cutting over lapping and improvised dialog is just darn annoying. This is something the director was known for and in today's world it just takes away from the enjoyment.The music is atrocious.A pro is that Shelly Duvall was still hot with a butter face when she appeared in this movie.

Woodyanders Robert Altman's sprawling, yet remarkably rich, compelling, and cohesive mosaic of Bicentennial-era America chronicles several days in the lives of a vivid and eclectic array of people in the country music capitol of Nashville, Tennessee. Altman and the incisive script by Joan Tewkesbury astutely captures the hopes, dreams, and delusions of America in the mid-1970's, with a specific emphasis on our nation's obsession with fame, success, and celebrity, the fierce distinction between the haves and the have nots, the complex interrelationship between politics and entertainment, and the various ways men exploit, abuse, and/or degrade women. Few movies depict both the negative and positive aspects of American culture with the same wit, warmth, and vitality as this pip does. Moreover, the uniformly terrific cast rates as another substantial asset: Ronee Blakley as the fragile Barbara Jean, Allen Garfield as her overprotective husband Barnett, Keith Carradine as callous and narcissistic womanizing heel Tom Frank, Henry Gibson as the arrogant Haven Hamilton, Michael Murphy as smarmy politician John Triplette, Lily Tomlin as the sweet Linnea Reese, Ned Beatty as her neglectful lawyer husband Delbert, Gwen Welles as the ambitious, but untalented Sueleen Gay, Geraldine Chaplin as clueless and obnoxious reporter Opal, Shelley Duvall as kooky groupie L.A. Joan, David Hayward as troubled loner Kenny Frasier, Barbara Harris as the daffy, but determined Albuquerque (the climax with Harris belting out "It Don't Worry" me on stage is a real show-stopper), Bert Remsen as her cranky husband Star, Karen Black as the haughty Connie White, Scott Glenn as the smitten Private Glenn Kelly, Barbara Baxley as the brash and outspoken Lady Pearl, Robert DuQui as the hard-nosed Wade, and, in an especially poignant role, Keenan Wynn as the kindly Mr. Green. Best of all, it's a total treat to the watch the colorful characters continually cross paths with each other in a multitude of surprising and inspired ways, with a particular highlight being when Carradine sings the excellent song "I'm Easy" in a club to a handful of women who he's seduced and bedded. The songs featured on the soundtrack range from the sublime (the rousing "My Idaho Home") to the gloriously hokey (the jingoistic tune "200 Years"). Essential viewing.

Ben Parker More than any other film, Nashville will play better the more tone-deaf you are. It features plenty of long scenes where actors portraying professional singers sing dreadfully, over- singing, forcing every. single. note. As someone who sings myself, this aspect really pulls me out of Nashville. For a movie that is famously about Nashville, it finds more joy in soul and folk music than in country. The film's heart is a scene which contrasts a sincere and moving folk performance by Keith Carradine with a terrific and sad scene where Gwen Welles' realises she had been hired to strip instead of for her singing ability. The song featured in this scene "It Don't Worry Me" became a hit apparently. There's also the opening scene which contrasts a pair of recording sessions: a lively gospel one + bad singing by the charming Lily Tomlin with a cold propagandistic country session with Henry Gibson.Its rough as guts, with some scenes set-pieces such as the airport scene early on seeming carefully choreographed, but all the acting has the loose improvisational style common to both Altman and Cassavetes films, which you either love or hate. I tend to find the actors higher calibre in Cassavetes, so Altman sometimes grates on me. Nashville is famous as a trope-originator for Altman's sprawling long films that are broader than they are deep, sort of like Love Actually, where you don't get a full Sleepless in Seattle thing, you get a bunch of tiny versions of it. Here, you get a bunch of musical bio-pics in one, but here there's no attempt to give each the same arc like in Love Actually, its more in Altman's slice of life style. Its absolutely a landmark film, there's not many others like it, and it is entertaining. Your mileage may vary with how picky you are about actors being cast as singers and having several protracted singing scenes that are often squirm-inducing, yet you get the feeling they weren't supposed to be. I've got it on VHS and don't love it enough to upgrade. I've watched my VHS copy twice and have grown attached to its pan and scan ugliness. For me its a picture I like and find fascinating, plus an extra point for being so unique, so 8/10.