Country Strong (spoilers)

What a weird movie. I definitely enjoyed aspects of it, but it definitely had some problems, mainly on the script level, I think.

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Kelly Canter, a big-time country singer who is just getting out of rehab. We get the impression that she has had a big, long career, with many hit songs and many devoted fans. Her husband and manager, James (Tim McGraw) is pulling her out of rehab a month early so that she can start a comeback tour. I think if I had to choose the single weirdest thing about this movie, it would be their relationship; hours after leaving the theater, I am still trying to figure it out. Like, when he goes to pick her up at rehab, he finds her in her room with an orderly (Beau Hutton, played by Garrett Hedlund); it is pretty obvious that James thinks they're sleeping together (which we later find out that they are). Though James acts a little territorial (referring to Beau as "Hoss" and whatnot, which made me giggle out loud), he honestly doesn't seem to care what Kelly does as long as she doesn't mess up the comeback tour. Similarly, she doesn't seem to feel any guilt about sleeping with Beau, and sleeps with someone else over the course of the movie, as well. What kind of relationship do they have? The only thing I can think is that they stopped being in love a long time ago but stay together because of their professional relationship, and because as an alcoholic, she needs someone to watch out for her. I almost feel like the writers should have had James be her ex-husband, because they just seem way too casual about everything.

Anyway. They are joined on tour by Beau, the orderly and Kelly's supposed "sponsor," who is also a would-be country musician, and Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester), another up-and-coming singer. Chiles and Beau are both going to be Kelly's opening acts. Beau is a songwriter who says he plays because he loves it and doesn't care about the money or the size of the crowds. Chiles wants to be a star, though we learn that she also writes songs and is smarter than she initially appears.

Once the four of them head out on tour, a somewhat random sequence of crazy stuff happens. Seriously, I was sitting in the theater all, "What completely insane thing is going to happen next?" So much seems random: for example, when James comes to get Kelly from rehab, she shows him a baby bird she rescued and is nursing back to health. She keeps it in a wooden box, and occasionally you see her or James feeding it with an eyedropper. Also, she has named it Loretta Lynn. At one point-- after Kelly has gotten drunk and missed an important concert-- James tells her, in a very hostile tone of voice, that he left the bird at the bar and that someone there would find a good home for it. Like, she's unfit to care for the bird. It is weird. We also see, over the course of the movie (in no particular order), Kelly swigging from a half-empty bottle of vodka shouting at Beau (about James), "I love him, you idiot!"; Kelly dancing on a bar; Chiles holding Kelly's hair back while she throws up; and Kelly giving Chiles a list of career tips that includes, "Don't drink anything carbonated on the day of a show. You'll bloat," and, "Don't ever use laxatives." Also, at one point the Make a Wish Foundation arranges for Kelly to visit a sick boy at his elementary school, where she sings him a song that she definitely made up just that morning, and also definitely partially made up on the spot. This is actually supposed to be a sweet moment. Again: it's weird. Also, we learn that prior to entering rehab, Kelly fell off of a stage, drunk, while five months pregnant and had a miscarriage. This is mentioned often throughout the movie, yet isn't really dealt with sufficiently, and feels out of place given the tone of the rest of the movie. Like, the "goal" of the movie, such as it were, seems to be for Kelly to simply get her drinking under wraps so that she can get her career back on track; to throw something as huge as the miscarriage in on top of that seems like more than the movie knows what to do with.

On top of all that, a romance develops between Chiles and Beau; Chiles is also being pushed, by Beau and to a lesser extent by Kelly, to make "real" country music and not to rush into fame singing pop country music. Chiles considers Kelly her idol, but there is the suggestion that she has it in her to be better than Kelly in a lot of ways. It is also stated-- and I'm forgetting the exact words, but this is the gist-- that you can't have love and fame at the same time. Beau tells Chiles about an offer he has to work on a ranch, and he asks her to come along, write songs with him, and perform with him at a local bar. It is strongly suggested that this is the right thing for her to do, and that fame won't lead anywhere good. The story with Chiles and Beau is actually very involving and well-done, and the two sing a few songs that are actually pretty great. I like Leighton Meester on Gossip Girl, and she's very good here. The problem is that Chiles and Beau seem almost like they belong in a different movie than Kelly and James. Kelly and James's story is very melodramatic and kind of a mess; Chiles and Beau's is fairly realistic and compelling. After awhile, it actually became a little jarring to shift between the two. Again, I believe this was a problem on the story level, rather than anything to do with the acting. Chiles and Beau's story was genuinely involving, while Kelly and James's was fascinating on a "what completely crazy thing is going to happen next?" level. Both were entertaining to watch in their own ways; however, again, both seemed like they belonged in different movies.

For the most part, I enjoyed this movie; however, I feel like it definitely could have used another rewrite.