Review of Country Strong (2010) by Rachel Leann B — 23 Jun 2011

Very surprised by this movie. For both good and bad reasons. 1. The publicity for this film was deceiving in the sense that it was to be believed that Paltrow was going to be the star of the film. She was far from it. Its her supporting cast that actually make her character believable. But until a tragic scene toward the end of the movie, you don't really feel the impact of her character. Compared to everything else going on in the film, Paltrow's character and her troubles really take a backseat to everyone else who're on center stage.

And 2. The love story between Hedlund and Leighton Meester and the struggles of Tim McGraw's character are really what this movie is all about. I was very impressed with both Garrett and Leighton's performance here. After watching Tron and having to suffer through all the Gossip Girl promos during Smallville, its nice to see Leighton finally breaking out of her TV shell, and what a great way to kick start her movie career. :) Hedlund was funny, sweet, and charming as Beau and his...um...relationship with Chiles (if that's what you'd call it, lol) turned out very well by the end of the film.

I liked Tim McGraw in this because despite how he played a real asshole, he did it in a way where you felt for his character which didn't make him completely unlikable. This was the first film I've seen of his and he played the role very well. Really great things happening in this movie. The kind that just make you wanna watch it again the minute its over.