Country Strong - movie review

I'm not so sure what's strong about it. Saying that, you probably think I hated this movie. I didn't.



True, most are going to see this film because of gone country Gwenyth Paltrow. And if you go to see her shine, well..you got another thing coming. Actually, she's the weakest link to this whole film.



The true characters of this show are Beau and Chiles. Played respectfully and so sincerely by Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester. You would have never thought of Garrett in Tron ..seeing him in this film. And...I think I'm in love with his voice. I know they say it doesn't take much to be a country singer (Hey, Jeff Bridges very well did it in Crazy Heart). Honestly, though..both of them have wonderful voices and I'm glad they shared the stage with a few songs. Leighton is far far away from being Blair on Gossip Girl in this film. It goes to show their are many sides to Meester.

You just gotat love Beau ..a little, yes, he's more than a country song and a singing cowboy. If only they would have let him go without his shirt more(hehehee). And really, when Beau and Chiles hooked up..it was a sweet scene.



And then there is Gwen's Kelly. Oh, just a train wreck who sometimes, yells out of trains. She's on the comback after an awful derail of the country singing life in Dallas. Will she or Won't she?



Beau's figured her out even if he's shared more than songwriting with her in rehab while he's kind of an ass around sweet faced Chiles who Kelly's husband/manager (Tim McGraw) has found for an opening act. Oh, its all a country song..now isn't it?

Yes, Gwen gets a few numbers in and is far to twangy for my concern, but still its Meester and Hedlund who steal the show. And should they? Well, somebody had to, because Paltrow just didn't have what it took, to carry this movie. Its kind of a shame..because she was so lovely in GLEE.

Meester could out do Taylor Swift, anyday. And yes, I would buy a CD of Hedlund's and Meester's songs from this movie. You can find their songs on More songs from Country Strong since they aren't actually on the original soundtrack ..like they should have been. And I don't even like country music, that much. But I hear the two have been taking iTunes by storm.

Too..bad this couldn't have been an indie rock kind of film. I'd so love to see what goes on behind the scenes of a band like Orenda Fink could pull together. On the way home, I listened to her beautiful melodies while in Azure Ray. Well, more about her later.

But if you want to see where country strong really is in this movie, Meester and Hedlund won't let you down.





Trivia:
Garrett Hedlund auditioned at a karaoke bar in Koreantown singing a Pearl Jam song. According to the director Shana Feste, "It really wasn't the best showcase ever of his voice, but Garrett went to school for us. Literally, he took four months off and started learning how to play the guitar, took voice lessons, went to Nashville early, started working with Nathan Chapman, a record producer in Nashville who produces Miranda Lambert. I mean, he became a country singer."