DVD Reviews

Country Strong – Blu-ray Review

By June L. Apr 25, 2011, 14:12 GMT

Soon after a rising young singer-songwriter (Hedlund) gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star (Paltrow), the pair embarks on a career resurrection tour helmed by her husband/manager (McGraw) and featuring beauty-queen-turned-singer (Meester). Between concerts, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all. ...more

Country Strong is a story that could well serve as inspiration for an old time ballad. Love gone wrong, persons making mistakes in their lives, rise to fame and fortune of struggling young people, loyalty, betrayal, life and death all figure into the plot which wraps around excellent music.

Strong performances by all the cast bring the characters to life and give pleasure through the plot enhancing songs.

Gwyneth Paltrow plays a once strong but now at the end of her emotional rope country singer Kelly Cantor whose immense talent is almost submerged by her personal troubles. Partly the story of her attempt to redeem herself professionally after a drunken debacle and a stint in rehab, Country Strong also tells the story of the people Kelly encounters within the business.

Her long suffering, but not entirely innocent husband/manager James Cantor played by Tim McGraw is a complicated mixture of intimate partner trying to rebuild their damaged relationship and cold hearted Svengali perhaps too interested in her come-back to recognize what is best for the person.

Garrett Hedlund plays the young working man country singer Beau Hutton (and here I just have to say I thought he WAS a singer chosen for the part, his voice is THAT good) who understands the troubles facing Kelly and tries to give her some support. Leighton Meester plays the pop princess country singer Chiles Stanton overcoming her stage fright moments to become a contender for Kelly’s place at the top of the charts and in the hearts of fans.

Not only is the film about the characters, but it becomes a paradigm of the country music scene today. It is well acted, with stunning performances by the four main characters musically as well as dramatically, and touches the viewer with heartfelt emotions very much like the old songs.

On Blu-ray, Country Strong is breathtaking, musical performances are like attending a concert, and background scenery creates a sense of veracity and gives an ambience of the “on the road” experience.

Presented on single disc with a running time of 117 minutes, Country Strong keeps excitement and tension throughout with plot lines that address confidence, strength and talent, pitting them against destructive behavior, emotional distress, and ego.

Special features abound on the Blu Ray including “Friends in High Places: the cast of Country Strong,” “Putting Words in Their Mouths, The Songwriters,” and “A Little Bit Country, the Costumes.”

Additional Special Features include the original ending (I’m glad they shot another ending!), deleted scenes, “Shake That Thing” extended video performance with Gwyneth Paltrow, “Country Strong” music video featuring Gyneth Paltrow, and “A Little Bit Stronger” Music Video by Sara Evans. It is rated PG 13 for alcohol abuse and some sexual content.

If you are a fan of Country Music, you will definitely want to own this for your collection, and if you are new to this music genre, this story is a wonderful way to get an introduction to the workings and types within the business.