Review of Country Strong (2010) by Jillian L — 10 Feb 2012

I was really looking forward to this movie. Something about it just caught my attention. It did not disappoint. The story was really engaging. A little slow at times, but that did not hurt the overall feel of the movie.

Garrett Hedlund is great as Beau. I didn't even recognize him with that freaking beard. It's a really interesting and conflicted character that he pulled off quite well. Tim McGraw was great as well.

Sometimes, the character was a little hard to read, switching up his emotions all the time, especially when it came to Kelly (Paltrow's character) But, when you see the movie, you'll understand the whole internal conflict thing.

Leighton Meester really surprised me. I wasn't expecting anything from her at all. But she delivered, playing this cute, Carrie Underwood-esque character, I actually enjoyed her performance. But, obviously, Gwyneth Paltrow takes this one, in what was possibly the best performance of her career to date.

Kelly Canter has A LOT of inner demons and problems, making her, in the words of Tim McGraw's character: "really goddamn fragile." Paltrow handled all of the difficult moments with poise, and really pulled off the character fantastically.

So, even if you're not a country fan, I highly recommend this movie. All of the country music stuff is a side plot. What this movie really is about is one woman's struggle for redemption.