MovieChat Forums > Country Strong (2011) Discussion > The ending ruined this one for me...

The ending ruined this one for me...

posted 13 years ago by iheart_ny
5 replies | jump to latest

First of all, it didn't paint country music (which I never really liked, I just watched this one for Gwyneth) in a good light. This movie was essentially a soap opera of dishonest and cruel characters, jealousy, petty behavior and drama, which, in itself, wasn't a problem for me, I liked the first hour and forty-three minutes, or so, but the ending was awful.

It's not that I thought it was very sad, I felt it was a cop-out of monumental proportions. This could have been a movie REALLY about someone trying to make a better life for herself, but no. I wanted to see her dump that ass of a husband, get back to writing her own music, and end up proving everybody wrong. The movie would've had to be a little longer, I suppose, but the ending feels like it belongs to an entirely different movie.

make me good, god. but not yet.
-jackie peyton

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] IAmDisgusted 13 years ago

True. The ending didn't particularly go with the title. There was nothing particularly "Country Strong" about the end.

[–] gremma 13 years ago

As in life, situations won't meet your expectations. If all you saw was a soap opera then you have never dealt with an alcoholic. Alcoholics are all about drama. They have to create it so they have an excuse to drink. You are very lucky you have never had to deal with one; since 1 in 4 families have a practicing alcoholic or drug addict in them. People who live in the realm of an alcoholic can tell you it goes from wonderful to awful without anything really happening. For men alcoholics, it's money and being a provider or a failure; for women it's about getting enough emotional attention, getting the right man, being the prettiest, stuff like that.

Kelly was not capable of breaking away and writing her own music, not alone; she had just lost a baby, it was her fault, so she had the guilt, and she wanted things to be okay with her husband. "Alkies" see things skewed from other people. She needed her husband not to be mad at her, to be the way they once were; but he would have a moment with her and then remember that sooner or later she will be drunk and hurt him again or embarrass him again, so he pulls away not wanting to emotionally invest in her.

When she finally realized that what he wanted was for her to perform and it was never going to be as before again with them, she gave him what he wanted, then herself what she wanted, peace. You've probably not looked down the road to see "Road Ending" or "Dead End" ahead so you wouldn't understand how it feels to realize this is your life, it's all it ever will be, day in and day out; to be married but not married, loved, but not loved. With her alcoholic brain, that's all she could see. He should never have taken her out of rehab early.

More "Alkies" die than not. Out 10 that get sober only 2% will still be sober 5 years later, and only 1/2 of 1 percent will die sober. Alkies are not a happily ever after story most of the time.

[–] jaynekranc 13 years ago

Yeah, but to be fair no one went to this expecting to see a documentary about alcoholism.

My dad conned his way out of three different rehab centers. I can't blame the husband. She didn't want to be sober. The husband was just about the only likeable character for me.

[–] glassrose385 13 years ago

I also hated the ending to this movie, but there was foreshadowing to her killing herself when she goes into Chiles' dressing room to give her advice.