An insult

You've not said WHY it's insulting?

Nothing to lose but our chains, we have a world to win

I completely disagree. I'm not a big Gwynneth Paltrow fan, but her acting was okay (her singing was good sometimes). I was blown away by both Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester. I was unfamiliar with both of them, but their singing was astounding and the acting very good. There was such a tangible chemistry between Hedlund & Meester which I thought MADE the story. Good chemistry between Paltrow and Hedlund as well. Tim McGraw was convincing as a antagonist. I'm a fan but did not like his character (which was quite convincing) in the movie.

To the OP:

I agree.

I love all kinds of music, including *good* country/country rock music, and although I am not a major fan of the mainstream side of Nashville/Branson with its canned, glitzy sound, I felt that this movie was made by people who *think* they know the country music scene/artists/culture, resulting in them acting more as one-note (no pun intended) posers than as sincere artists of that particular genre.

GP was just acting 'too' hard at trying to be someone that, I took by her performance, seemed light years away from GP's own values and tastes, and to the point that she just could not find her footing.

Instead, she plastered her implicit stereotypical thinking all over her character, leaving out true heart and soul, and to the point of making her character oh-so simplistic and predictable -- it left me thinking that this is how a Malibu-lite would believe those 'aliens' (i.e., country western folks) think and act. If she would have put more thought, research, and generosity of spirit into her role as she did with, say, Sylvia Plath, we would have had a much better movie -- and she probably would not have let the writers get away with some of the absolute nonsense that was spouted in this film. If you can't get the 'tone' and do the culture/character some kind of honestly informed justice, then you should not attempt the part (unless you were trying for some kind of satire).

I think inner prejudice (whether she acknowledges it or not) got in her and some others' way in this movie.

And, what the heck was it with all that namedropping by GP's character? That seemed SO forced, and I doubt that an artist with the kind of status that her character supposedly had would inanely namedrop 'Emmy Lou', 'Ronstadt', etc., as her character did. That would be more like the behavior of a wanna-be or glib fan than that of an established artist/music celeb -- whether she was on the skids or not.

I found the people portrayed in this movie as more caricature than character, and so I can agree that it *was* insulting to some degree to the very genre and folks it was attempting to portray.



"I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than..a rude remark or a vulgar action" Blanche DuBois

Yeah; some examples of WHY you feel the way you do would be nice... (to the OP)






Born when she kissed me, died when she left me, lived whilst she loved me

Ya know,I was born and raised by two country musicians,..my Mother and my Father.
I grew up literally on tour,sleeping in the top drawer of the dresser on the bus.Thats all we did.And,I didnt find this insulting at all.I found it to be a layered film with many different elements that CAN happen on the road.I think you need to step down a peg,and realize that just because you grew up living in the country,and listening to country music doesnt make you an expert on what goes on when you are touring.What DOES make you an expert on life with a touring band,..is living it.Until then,you just dont have a clue as to what goes on,or how people react to things living in such tight surroundings.Also,lighten up. The dialog wasnt the best,but it wasnt anywhere near the worst either.
"If it's death from a Saxon sword that frightens you,..stay home"

I live in the Nashville area and the industry is pretty much if you allow it to be just like what they showed. Its ruff and if you cant handle it like Paltrows character you will fall from grace. Its with anyone with an addictive and depressed personality. Managers are the worst because to them its all about money and pushing that star.They are just doing there job so you cant blame them. Trust me my husband was a drummer in Nashville for some stars for yrs in the past and the industry, if you allow it, can be cruel. You have be be stronger then Paltrows character in this movie. But with heartache and ruff times getting to the top comes great singer song writers because it comes from deep within the heart. Thats why some of those females that have just been given the top from TV shows now days do not come out with songs from the heart...they are Disney type songs or its all written for them , very industrialized. I seriously do not pat any of those on the back for never working to where there at...it was just handed to them and they didnt earn the status to be where they are at I dont care how many awards they win. Many feel that way even if they are a fan, those fans still feel that way.

I'm sorry but you need to understand that they wanted to do a movie about a singer's struggle with addiction and other things. If it had been a pop singer on a pop tour, would you have thought that it was an insult to the pop industry as well?

I smell a troll in danibethb. Reason: No examples of what about the movie embarassed/insulted. IOW what was so bad about it. Furthermore what is the poster's qualifications to "know" what goes on in the industry? Just listening and going to concerts doesn't qualify you to claim "they" were obviously clueless. You might not have liked the movie, but to make broad statements about what the people that made the movie knew/did not know is ridiculous. I've not seen the movie, but I've cruised IMDB for many years, and any poster who starts a thread like this, provides no examples/scenes/lines that demonstrate their point, then fails to followup or respond to other commentors is, for all intents and purposes trolling.

my god its full of stars