image sourceI don't really like Gwyneth Paltrow or Tim McGraw so I was a little worried but I LOVE Leighton Meester and country music, so I definitely had to watch it.
image sourceThere are so many things about this movie that I loved, I don't even really know where to start.
1. The Soundtrack The thing I love about country music is that it can be laid back, fun, something you want to hear in a bar simply because it's lightens the mood. There are also those songs that are heartfelt and make you want to sing along, out loud in the car, volume up. This soundtrack has all of that. I did not hear one song that I did not like. I will definitely be purchasing this in the next month.
Songs that were my favorite - *A Little Bit Stronger - Sara Evans*Give Into Me - Faith Hill (that's it on the soundtrack, but in the movie, it was Beau and Chiles)*Coming Home - Gwyneth Paltrow*Fly Again - not on the soundtrack
2. The Story LineThe whole premise behind the story is that Gwyneth Paltrow's character is just getting out of rehab and performing a comeback tour. they need an opening act, so they find Chiles Stanton and Beau to come along. Basically it's a story about relationships, how they're mended, not mended, develop and fall apart. I'm not going to say anything more about it because if you haven't seen it, you should, and I don't want to give too much away.
3. The Characters/Actors*Gwyneth Paltrow - I don't typically like her but she does an excellent job of portraying an alcoholic, caught in the middle of her disease and how it can be so difficult to overcome. She was very convincing and I forgot that she ws Gwyneth immediately. I totally bought into her from the get go.
image source*Leighton Meester - I love her so much in Gossip Girl so I wasn't sure what to expect. She ended up doing such a great job and I totally bought her southern accent. One of my pet peeves in movies is when actresses try to do a southern accent and completely destroy it. She was awesome.
image source*Tim McGraw - He also did a great job of portraying someone who is completely co-dependent and although he was totally in love with Karen (gwyneth), he had been hurt by her so much over the years that he was also angry. As much as I dislike Tim McGraw, he was awesome. Much better than his role in the Blind Side.
image source*Garrett Hedlund - I didn't think I had seen him before, but according to Wiki, he was in Troy. Either way, his character, Beau, was in love with Karen (Gwyneth) and just along for the ride. He never had any desire to be a famous country singer, but enjoyed playing in the local bar wherever he was.
image sourceI enjoyed how each of the characters impacted the other and felt they all did a really good job being who they were supposed to.
Overall, I recommend you see this movie. It made me want to be a country singer and live in Nashville, which is a city I don't even really like.
