Country Strong

Dir. Shana Fest
Starring. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund

It's no secret that we are fascinated by celebrity. I, for one, almost crapped my pants when I saw Keira Knightley at a bar the other night. So, by now, we're all pretty accustomed to the classic tale of the once great celeb who suffers an alcohol/drug induced meltdown, gets arrested, goes to rehab, makes a heartfelt apology, and then attempts a comeback. Everyday it's plastered on the magazine shelves, the internet, and television. The point is, we get it. Therefore, in order to justify a 2 hour movie on the subject, you better bring something new. And Country Strong is about as recycled as it gets.

Gwyneth Paltrow stars as fictitious famous country singer, Kelly Canter, who is pulled out of rehab early by her manager husband, James (McGraw), to start her comeback tour. She agrees but insists on an opening spot for rehab worker and part time lover, Beau (Garrett Hedlund), who is a talented singer/songwriter known only to those who frequent the sleaziest of bars. But James has another opener in mind: former beauty queen and peppy youngster, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester). Eventually, they all head off on tour together, providing the catalyst for a sloppy melodramatic love square to develop. Tensions rise; hearts are broken; songs are sung; hair is teased ever higher, but none of it makes for very good entertainment.

Maybe the filmmakers thought the film would survive on the novelty of Paltrow debuting her vocal talents (nobody actually saw Duets, after all), but then Glee beat 'em to that. Maybe they thought they could feature a few good country songs and that'd make the film worth seeing. Well, despite the Oscar Nom for "Coming Home," that didn't work either. You may get a few country music fans who will pick up the soundtrack when it goes on a half price special sale at Wal-Mart, but that don't mean y'all got yerselves a decent movie.

There is rarely if ever an honest moment in this film. Every scene feels contrived and cliche. It's hard to actually care about the relationships because they are so poorly developed. None of the characters actually seem to care that much about each other, so why should we care that much about them? It's like watching a 2 hour recap of a soap opera you've never actually seen before, but with a lot less plot. If you can believe that.

Paltrow gives a decent performance, as does McGraw, but no amount of convincing crying would be enough to save this sinking ship of a script. As if half the world didn't already think country music was shallow and insipid. Now we've got a whole film to prove it. Thanks. "Coming Home?" More like "Going Home"...from the movie theater after about 20 minutes of this sap-fest and asking for my money back. I'd rather just spend it on the latest OK! magazine.