Another Country Music Star Trips And Can’t Get Up. The best thing about this 112-minute, PG-13 rated Music/Drama/Redemption flick is that the audience will get to hear some pretty good country music. It seems like Hollywood can’t seem to cool it with making more movies about all the music stars whose lifestyle destroys their lives. Last year brought the world “Crazy Heart.” In 2005 “Walk the Line” was the best of this genre. In this year’s version it’s just not very believable probably because the heartbreak wasn’t about an actual country or pop music heart breaker.
The main character in this show was Kelly Canter, a six time Grammy Winner and country music legend who was portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow who always looked beautiful and perfect even when in a rehab clinic, pole dancing in the worst bar in town or stumbling around like the proverbial drunken sailor. In that same dive she was surrounded by Hell’s Angels who while they looked the part, were totally domesticated and seemed more like stage props or scenery than rowdy bikers brawling with each other at their favorite drinking hole. When the drunken country singer swinging and swaying on the bar and serenading them while bumping and grinding was suddenly kidnapped by Garrett Hedlund, as Beau Hutton, the drunken Hell’s Angels just went back to their beer chugging and staring off into space in a stoned haze. Not one of them even grumbled that their free entertainment was being dragged away. Realism didn’t play a big part in this flick.
Tim McGraw does a good job underplaying the role of James Center who is Kelly’s husband and agent. Leighton Meester plays former beauty queen turned country singer and songwriter Chiles Stanton. She doesn’t seem much like a beauty queen. Her acting would have benefited greatly by more intense directing.
The movie was filmed mostly in Nashville masquerading as various Texas locations. The movie does have its moments. The tears will flow here and there, but something is missing. The film has been too sanitized. Everything looks like a stage set. Everyone looks too perfect for what is being portrayed. The very large supporting cast and musicians do a professional job. There is a very touching scene shot at a Make A Wish Foundation Project. The camera is right down on the floor with the actors in that scene.
Other silly things offset the power of the good scenes. When the Kelly Canter bus is driving down the highways and byways with two minivans behind it carrying the rest of the crew and musicians, only only a single car length separates them all. They were probably bunched up to make it more obvious they were all part of the same music caravan, but since the highway is usually deserted, that would have been equally obvious if they vehicles had all been driving with enough separation between them so as not to telescope into one bloody mess if the bus had blown a tire. This movie is filled with annoying distractions such as the highway tailgating. Too bad!
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