Country fans should love ‘Country Strong’

Erica Finn Staff Writer

Although I am a poor country college kid, “Country Strong” was worth every penny I found walking up to the theatre. If changing the national anthem to “Mama Tried” or voting George Strait to be the next president is on your agenda, seeing “Country Strong” should be in your plans this weekend.

Leading actress Gwyenth Paltrow as Kelly Canter and her husband Tim McGraw as James Canter didn’t steal the movie as I thought the story went.

Garrett Hedlund as Beau Hutton and Leighton Meester as Chiles Stanton steal this movie as not only their music career takes off but so does the fire they have for each other.

Kelly tries to regain her audience after a devastating alcoholic breakdown in Dallas, Texas that landed her in rehab. In rehab she met Beau, who cared for Kelly more than James could ever care.

This set Beau to go on tour with Kelly, but James isn’t too fond of this. James brings a country Barbie on the tour named Chiles, who seems to fill the void that Kelly can’t fill.

When the tour finally takes off, everyone involved is in for the most emotional, thrill-seeking ride in their country career.

“Country Strong” is filled with country music from one scene to the next, and being country music’s greatest fan, I enjoyed every song and thought they couldn’t have been better written.

Others could see this movie as the heartbreak, tear in my beer country song that everyone stereotypes country as; but “Country Strong” wraps you into the each character’s story until at the end of the movie you have nothing to do but feel for each one involved.

I grew up in a small town in Alabama and have the country background that’s needed to enjoy a movie like this; someone from California could never relate, unfortunately, which brings bad reviews to this movie. 

This movie takes special attention to the art of country music and the ride that the country music industry takes. I give this movie what it should be rated: five out of five stars.