2009’s “Crazy Heart”, was the story of an old country music singer (played by Jeff Bridges) whose personal problems prevent him from making a successful comeback. “Country Strong” features a similar story, but this time the singer is female.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Kelly Canter. She’s a former country superstar whose career ended badly. She has a drinking problem and is trying to deal with a tragic event that changed her life forever. With the help of her husband/manager (Tim McGraw), Kelly returns to singing and goes back on tour, hoping to get back to the top.
“Gossip Girl”‘s Leighton Meester plays Chiles Stanton, an up-and-coming singer who wants to be a star, and hopes to make it happen on Kelly’s tour. A young songwriter, played by Garrett Hedlund, is also on the tour. The movie centers on the relationships between these four characters.
The plot of “Country Strong” is a little more complicated than I would have guessed from seeing the trailers. There are some early twists which make the story less predictable than I thought it would be.
The story doesn’t focus on Paltrow’s character as much as I was expecting. I would’ve liked to have seen more scenes of her and McGraw’s character together and less of the other two. At times, this movie is heartwarming and hopeful, and other times it’s sad and a little depressing.
The songs are likeable and memorable, and are all performed by the actors, which is pretty impressive. In fact, the only one of the main actors who doesn’t sing on camera is McGraw – WHO’S THE ONLY REAL SINGER!
Paltrow gives a terrific performance, and you really care for her character. The rest of the performances are solid.
“Country Strong” is rated PG-13 for adult content and themes, language and drinking. It’s appropriate and mainly geared for young adults and up (especially women, but men should also give it a chance). And you don’t have to be a country music fan to enjoy this movie.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Country Strong” gets a B. It hits enough good notes to make it worth seeing.