Last night in Beverly Hills was the premiere of Country Strong. It was a star-studded event with the entire cast (Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester) plus Tobey Maguire (producer), Faith Hill (Mrs. Tim McGraw) and Reba McEntire. Inside, there was a special mention of Gabe Sipos (Travis), a kid with leukemia. In real life, Gabe is a cancer survivor. When you see him in the movie, he will just steal your heart:} Back to the movie... It stars Gwyneth Paltrow as 6-time Grammy award winning performer Kelly Canter. Tim McGraw plays James, her Manager/Husband, in that order. Garrett Hedlund plays Beau Hutton, a sponsor and honky-tonk performer. Leighton Meester plays an up-and-coming singer coming from the world of beauty pageants. Country Strong was written and directed by Shana Feste. (You go girl! We need more visible female hybrids.) Her debut was a little-seen (but wonderful) film The Greatest... rent it!
The obvious story here is about Kelly's phoenix-like attempt to revive her career by playing various concerts in Texas. In order to do this, Kelly is taken out early from rehab. Throughout the movie, you find out what has happened to her over the years. Beau and Chiles are the newbies, opening up for her. I was so impressed and mesmerized by these two young actors. I know Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl. She thanked me when I mentioned how cute her dress was (Christian Dior). My question is who’s Garrett Hedlund and is he really a country performer? Well, come to find out he's been in the films Troy, Friday Night Lights, Four Brothers, Eragon, Georgia Rule, and Death Sentence. This month, he'll be seen in the hotly-anticipated film Tron:Legacy with Jeff Bridges. You may remember Bridges from last year's "little" film Crazy Heart (which earned him an Academy Award). There are only a few similarities so don't dismiss this as a Crazyheart knock-off. It's a relief to see a female driven movie so watch this on its own merits. Gwyneth, Garrett and Leighton all do their own singing (a stellar job). My two favorite scenes are when these three are in a cab together. The other is with Kelly, Travis and James. You'll understand what I mean when you see them.
At first, it was hard to like/care for Kelly Canter. But as things unfolded, I understood her true pain and sadness. This movie is drama-based but it does have some comedic moments. In my opinion, I enjoy everything Gwyneth does. She seems the type who loves a good challenge and enjoys it. Anyone see Glee lately? LOVE IT! For Country Strong, she practiced playing the guitar and used Faith Hill as inspiration. Tim was in the films Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side. But here, he is really coming into his own as an actor. His ranges of emotions are truly reflected here. Garrett and Leighton are very charming and so easy to fall in love with. You don't have to be a country music fan to enjoy this film. My recommendation is to see this film if you want to see a drama with some good tunes. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
In theatres January 7th. Check out http://www.countrystrong-movie.com/
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