dansview I liked the opening.It showed a humble, scruffy young country singer playing a non-descript low-brow gig, then driving his old pick up truck, while changing into his uniform for his shift at a psychiatric hospital.Oh jeez...Gwyneth Paltrow as a famous country singer? Give me a break. In fact, Gwyneth Paltrow as anything other than the untalented daughter of a Hollywood writer? Give me a break. I didn't buy it for a second.Nothing against Tim McGraw, but one has to have more than a Southern accent to be an effective actor. What are his qualifications? He's awkward.The best thing about this movie is Garrett Hedlund. He has charisma like a big movie star might. The music sucked and the plot was non-existent. But this actor kept me watching for about half the film, before I gave up.Alcoholism is such a boring and clichéd plot device. The screw-up country star and the hungry up-and-coming, aspiring country singer theme is equally clichéd.Show me something different. How about a country singer who wants to sing opera or funk? Or a country singer who wants to be a reporter, but can't break free from who they are? I don't see how anyone could actually believe that this sanctimonious, paint-by-numbers trash would entertain anyone. Yet plenty of reviewers here liked it. Go figure.

chubbydave A guy wearing a cowboy hat, boots, jeans, and flannel shirt parks his piece of junk pick-up truck and carries his acoustic guitar as he walks into a bar on a Saturday night. He doesn't play the guitar particularly well or sing particularly well, but the crowd (especially the women) is mesmerized by his country-style machismo. If anyone reads this, they're probably laughing by now, but this is a scene in the movie, and as far as I can tell they expect you to take it seriously.Note: I've been to Texas. I've visited over half a dozen cities and town including Lubbock, Amarillo, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. I've even been to Lukenbach. The first time I visited Texas I wore some cowboy boots. I felt like an idiot. No one was wearing cowboy boots or cowboy hats. I think this mythical place where people wear flannel shirts, boots and hats only exists in some movie producers' mindsBut there's more. There's the has-been fading star struggling with addiction as she struggles to hold on to her career. There's the husband/manager who is more concerned with her career than her health. Then there's the young wannabe starlet trying to make it in the business. And for some reason, I can't figure it out, these people are adored by the multitudes of fans. If this were a comedy, I'd get it. But I think it's supposed to be taken seriously.The one highlight is Leighton Meester who plays the young wannabe. She's a very versatile actress, and her performance in this movie explains why she's in such high demand as an actress both on television and on the big screen.

Desertman84 Country Strong is a movie that stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, and Leighton Meester. The story is about an emotionally unstable country music star who attempts to resurrect her career.It was written and directed by Shana Feste.While in rehab,Kelly Canter has a fling with an admiring orderly,Beau. An aspiring singer/songwriter,Beau tells Kelly's manager and husband, James, that he's her "sponsor". Anxious to revitalize her career, James checks Kelly out early to send her back on tour. He may love his wife, but he doesn't know when to stop pushing. When he hears Beau's duet with former beauty queen Chiles, he adds them to the bill. When they travel from Tennessee to Texas, Beau discovers that Chiles is more talented and intelligent than he thought, but he remains devoted to his mentor, even though he knows they have no future. When Kelly starts drinking again, Beau gravitates towards his more stable tour mate.The cast gives a great performance particularly Gwyneth Paltrow with the way she handles her songs.Also,it features great country music.Unfortunately,its clichéd and formulaic screenplay makes it less of an excellent movie.Also,the story is disjointed in the sense that some elements in the plot are far from clear.

tim-pettitt-414-140133 I have to say that it took my wife forcing me to watch this one, but I rather enjoyed the movie. This movie combines several genres (drama, romance musical and tragedy) in a way that fits well together. It has a theme similar to the movie Pure Country, in that, it explores the parts of stardom that the public doesn't see. This movie kept my attention throughout and didn't really have any parts that dragged on as some movies do. However, the beginning is a bit confusing. It jumps right in without very much explanation. The story fills in the blanks as you go, and does a good job in getting you attached to the main characters. Good movie to watch on a night in with the spouse, but defenatly not with the family. All in all, a well made film.