Country Strong is an unintentionally ironic drama coded in the tenants of country music: the film is as much a Nashville production as it is a soap opera. Advice is given from one country star to another – may the best song win, the film allows plot points to win, substituting popular entertainment for a profound meditation. The film however is entertaining in its presentation of a paradox: in an effort climb the charts, acquiring wealth and fame that comes with success; any artist becomes disconnected from their roots. It’s hard to feticide a rough and tumble good time in a small town honkey tonk bar when your rockin’ a custom designed dress.
Written and directed by Shana Feste, Country Strong features four strong and convincing performances. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Kelly Canter, a country star that has fallen from grace, five months pregnant she is arrested for drunken disorderly conduct. While in rehab she finds herself attracted to Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund), a talented local musician who works as an orderly to pay the bills. In her room they write songs a collaborative Nashville style featured in a recently in an insightful NPR story. Canter’s husband James (Tim McGraw – the country star doesn’t sing on screen instead choosing to comment on “the business of show”) thinking about the future is assembling a comeback tour, and is looking towards the future – a beauty queen turned emerging star Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester).
To their credit Paltrow, Hedlund and Meester convincingly play their roles, transferring stories of pain, suffering and the aforementioned honkey tonk good times to the audience and us. Behind the scenes a careful portrait of the marriage emerges and the film misses several opportunities to provide a deeper back-story for Kelly Canter, perhaps the film offers no easy conclusions, which is frustrating because it works well at several intervals. The extent of the back-story we get, alluding to a time before Kelly’s trip to rehab is that her husband, a shred businessman believes he would have continued to sell insurance and she would have been in the church choir. This may have been the best life for them; the sadness would not have been publically amplified.
If you will permit me to provide a slight spoiler to prove a point: there is little backlash amongst her fans: after all she was drinking (and we assume mixing alcohol and prescription drugs) while carrying a child. There is one dramatic moment, perhaps the audience is more forgiving, however you’d think the majority of country fans would take a conservative view – does she reflect their values? Remember what happened to the Dixie Chicks (the aftermath was chronicled in Barbara Kopple’s brilliant Shut Up and Sing). Perhaps fans are more forgiving of her personal trauma, even if it’s a trauma she’s inflicted on herself. There is a political conflict within the community that film relegates to Entertainment Tonight style news commentary.
On the other hand the values of genuine country music are held by Beau whose admirable life goal isn’t fame and fortune but to play good music for hardworking folks having a few beers on a Saturday night. Stanton aspires for fame, as a beauty queen is required to, however she is learning the meaning of this, perhaps Kelly was once in her shoes and perhaps this lead to her destruction.
So good is Tim McGraw in his early moments: he’s naturally charming as evidenced in his easy going millionaire father in another would-be Lifetime Original Movie, The Blind Side. He uses this charm, overworking his poor, unwell wife with an upbeat spin, when asked to deliver she does if she can avoid her demons. Perhaps she’s granted one too many second chances.
The film is its best during musical performances – and the music in a musical should be good (remember how awful Rob Marshall’s Nine was a year ago – need we discuss “Cinema Italiano” ?) The production is first rate with skillful cinematography by John Bailey and several well directed moments by Shana Feste, who’s screenplay represents several shortcomings, had she gone deeper and provided additional pieces, a heartbreaking work could have been realized. What should burn your throat like a shot of whisky instead leaves you with the temporary buzz of a cold brew.
