Country Strong
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester.
Director: Shana Feste
Rating: 3/5
It seems that Hollywood can't get enough of the troubled singer trying to get themselves, as well as their career, back on track.
and Country Strong is another one of those same movies as Gwyneth Paltrow takes on the role of haunted and troubled country singer trying to get back on her feet.
Soon after a rising young singer-songwriter gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star, the pair embarks on a career resurrection tour helmed by her husband/manager and featuring a beauty-queen-turned-singer.
Between concerts, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all.
The problem with Country Stong is it is a well trodden path that we have been down so many times before - not to mention there is something a little soap operish about the whole thing.
The plot, the characters and the relationships developed are just a little stale - we really have seen it all before. However I will say the ending was not was expecting: I was a more Hollywood style finish.
The major problem with the story is you never really believe Paltrow's battle with alcohol and her guilt - it all just seems so forced.
On the upside the music is brilliant in it - the performances from all of the cast really are the highlight of the movie.
Hedlund shows that he has some real musical talent as he performances are electric and his vocals really are very impressive.
He has a good chemistry with both Paltrow and Leighton Meester, it's good to see her tackling something new, as they too show off some real vocal talent.
But the character are just not fleshed out enough the movie touches on a painful past for all but never really explores it - which is a real shame.
But aside for the musical interlude Country Strong is just so predictable; all except the end of course.
Ok so this movie is not nightmarishly bad and it's something that will keep you entertained for two hours - but you won't be cheering for an encore.
Country Strong is now on DVD & Blu-Ray
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw