Country Strong

Director: Shane Feste
Writer: Shana Feste
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund
Release Date: January 14, 2011
Length: 1 hour 52 minutes

Beau Hutton (Garett Hedlund) is a twenty something aspiring country musician working a rehabilitation center. He is having an affair with one of the center’s patients, country music star Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow). Kelly is cheating on her producer husband, James (Tim McGraw) with Beau and staying in rehab after an excruciating year of criticism, loss and humiliation. Kelly has almost recovered from a painful concert in Dallas, where she fell off the stage pregnant, and lost her baby while alcohol-induced. James takes Kelly out of rehab early in order for Kelly to go on her full tour, where the young and fresh Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) will open for her. However Kelly wants Beau to open for her concert so James reluctantly asks Beau to come on tour with them and Beau agrees. On this tour, the four travel together as they leave and create new relationships. Beau still worries that James took Kelly out of rehab too early and her addictions will creep up on her in given time. Writer/director Shana Feste creates a fictional biographical film that tries to be meaningful and poignant but ends up being sappy and overdone. There are a few things to love about this film but a script ain’t one. Everyone in the cast gives wonderful performances including the never-failing Gwyyneth Paltrow as the tormented Canter with her manic-depressive personality that makes her hated and pitied by the audience. Tim McGraw has proven himself a great actor from The Blind Side and continues to do so with his performance in Country Strong, playing the role of a dependable husband to a tormented crazy wife that needs him. Leighton Meester is engaging as the self-absorbed, naïve Chiles Stanton who dreams of becoming exactly like Kelly. The real star of the film is the captivating newcomer Garett Hedlund as Beau. His subtle authentic performance makes him stand out from everyone acting in the film. My highest amount of interest for this film came when he was on screen and he carries the entire film beautifully. The most enjoyable aspect of the film though, was the original country music composed by Michael Brook. Every soft song performed in Country Strong sung by Paltrow, Hedlund or Meester connected the story and made a lovely flow between scenes. Feste fittingly chooses the young Beau to be the main character of the film and gives a different perspective on Kelly rather than the film soully just being about her. Feste has a cute, interesting plot up until a very random unnecessary ending that clearly once again tries but fails to gain a deeper appreciation from the audience. A sweet romance blossoms between the characters of Chiles and Beau that endears the audience, while Kelly’s struggles with addiction and her husband maintains our interest. If the last 20 minutes were shaved off the film, Country Strong would have been likable because the rest of the movie while being cheesy and banal was still quite charming. If you love country music or Gwyneth Paltrow go ahead and see Country Strong, but be prepared for a shocking ending you might find abruptly pointless.