OVP: Country Strong (2010)

Film: Country Strong (2010)
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester
Director: Shana Feste
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Original Song-"Coming Home")
Snap Judgment Ranking: 2/5 stars

I remember the exact moment that I found out that Gwyneth Paltrow could sing.  It was in a grocery store, and her version of "Cruisin" appeared on the Muzak, and I was hooked.  I mean, not hooked enough to actually go out and see Duets (the trailer did not look good-if it's something I should investigate, let me know), but enough to be excited about when Gwyneth would next tackle another musical.  Unfortunately for all of us, it took a decade for that opportunity to come up, and even more unfortunate, it was in the form of the mediocre, cliched Country Strong.

Spoilers to follow I will explain the plot of Country Strong, but you already know it, so it seems like an exercise in futility.  The story is about a recently recovering alcoholic/musical superstar (Paltrow), who is trying to stage a comeback that her husband (McGraw) keeps pushing, despite her clearly not being ready for the limelight again. It's also about her affair with a younger stud (Hedlund) who is also on the outskirts of stardom, and also wrestling between the charms of the alluring Paltrow and the younger, on-the-rise Chiles Stanton (Meester, sporting a moniker that basically forces you to be a country singer).

We all know where this is going-after some hemming, hawing, and cheating: Paltrow returns to her husband and puts on that one great concert, sealing her fate before she slips quietly into the night, and Hedlund and Meester find happiness just being with each other, not caring too much for the shiny lights of stardom, and settling for love.  It's an ending that people enjoy (I'm not entirely knocking happy endings), but the troubled music superstar story line is one of the oldest ones out there, and it's so formulaic that it's hard to get excited about the actual film.  It's not like there aren't strong attributes-Paltrow, despite all of the naysayers (what is lost in the whole 1998 Best Actress battle is that both women put on strong performances, even if you preferred Blanchett's dramatics to Paltrow's comedic), has a star quality about her that is hard to deny.  It's a pity that we see her Kelly fall so quickly and rise so late, because clearly this is a woman who could pull off "top of her game."  One of the reasons that I've been drawn to ABC's new show Nashville is that we get to see two women who are performing at the top of their games, so it isn't completely obvious who will win in the end (don't just assume because she's the villain that Hayden is the loser).  It'd have been interesting to see a little more Eve Harrington/Margo Channing in the film moments between Paltrow and Meester and a little less, drunk cat and wimpy mouse.

Garrett Hedlund, doing his best sexy country boy, and has some pipes on him, enough so that I may stop confusing him with the Hemsworth brothers with time.  The less said about Meester's performance the better, as her character arch makes no sense-how is it that she becomes less confident the more successful she gets, and with no one commenting on it?  Ditto McGraw's domineering husband-is he mourning the loss of his unborn child, or is he just a jerk who is using Kelly for her money?  It's hard to say, mostly because McGraw just sulks and considers an affair with Meester the entire movie (a story that goes nowhere, by the way).  And also, how is it that you cast Tim McGraw in a country music movie and you never have him sing?!?

The best thing about this film is the soundtrack, and that's where the OVP aspect of this review comes into play.  The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "Coming Home," a charming country ballad, though why they didn't go with the far catchier and more memorable title song, I have no idea (case in point-I had to go listen to "Coming Home" on iTunes to remember what the song sounded like, but "Country Strong" I know the chorus by heart).  Hedlund also has a number of wonderful, gravelly country songs in his repertoire, and if you really want to enjoy this film, buying the CD and skipping the DVD would probably be your best way to go.  Though I will say that I'd love to see both Paltrow and Hedlund tackle a different musical in the future, albeit one with a better screenplay.

And with that, let's turn it over for you-what did you think of Country Strong, and "Coming Home" in particular?  Do you think it deserved Best Song in the odd 2010 lineup?  What would be the best musical vehicle for Gwyneth in the future?  And finally, do you also think Garrett Hedlund looks like a Hemsworth brother?