Kyle Kerr

Country Strong

01/4/11 | Movies, Reviews | 0 Comments

So, my resolution for 2011 is that I’m going to write more, and that means putting an end to the neglect of my blog.  Not only am I going to write more about my writing, but I’m also going to review EVERY new book and movie I experience.  I get to see a lot of advance screenings for movies (one of the many perks of city living!), and I currently have over 30 ARCs (advance reader copies) burning up my To-Be-Read pile, so a lot of the things I’ll review will actually—hopefully—be relevant and useful.  Or not.  We’ll see.

Tonight I saw a screening of COUNTRY STRONG, which opens in theaters this Friday.  It’s the story of country superstar Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow), just out of rehab after a mysterious-and notorious to the characters in the movie-incident at a concert in Dallas the year prior.  She’s being forced into a comeback by her husband/manager James Canter (Tim McGraw, who doesn’t have a singing part).  Along for the ride is Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund, TRON: Legacy), a rehab aide by day who helps Kelly in more ways than one, and a baritoned crooner by night, as well as Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester, Gossip Girl), whose youth and talent make Kelly jealous.

I really wanted to like this movie.  I’m a big fan of Leighton for her portrayal of Blair Waldorf on GG, and I already knew she could sing from that single she released a few months ago.  I’d first seen Garrett in the ill-adapted Eragon movie (which I can forgive him for), and then a few weeks ago starring opposite Jeff Bridges in the new Tron movie, which similarly impressed me.  And I was even looking forward to Gwen because of her spin on Glee a month or so ago.

But the story, while not necessarily tired, still felt cliché because of all the real life stars we watch who go through the same experience.  These people that are in and out of rehab every few months, staging comebacks at a higher frequency than the full moon appears… it’s just old.  It didn’t help the movie in any way.  And at almost two hours, it seemed to drag on, too.

Gwyneth doesn’t get as much screen time as you’d think (which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing), and they saved most of her singing until the end—save for an impromptu song she sings for a Make-A-Wish kid with leukemia that was really cute—sort of like that forbidden romance where you wait an ENTIRE movie for that ONE KISS.  She was fairly believable as a depressed starlet, but nothing about the performance was particularly wow-worthy.

Leighton seemed to gain more confidence in her performance as the movie went on, which reflects the character’s own arch in a way, though you shouldn’t be able to see it in the performance itself.  She seemed uncomfortable for the first half of the movie but found her groove in the end, and she’s a decent singer to boot!

The big delight of the movie, surprisingly, was Garrett Hedlund.  Not only did he have an extremely sultry voice, but his sincere portrayal as Beau was completely believable, the only un-forced performance in the entire movie.  I almost wish the movie had been more centered on his life and struggles to become a country star.  He’s definitely someone to keep our eyes on in the future.

Overall, the movie was cute, but not something I’d run out to see on opening night.  Maybe go for an early matinee if you’re interested in seeing it in theaters (the singing alone is worth the $6), but don’t spend $11 to see it Friday night.  I probably would have been annoyed if I’d paid to see it.  Definitely a matinee movie, or wait for it on Netflix.

6/10

Until next…

Kyle W. Kerr