Country Strong

Released: 2010
Drama (but laughably bad if it wasn't so damn boring)
Director: Shana Feste
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Garrett Hedlund, Tim McGraw
Running Time: A painful 117 minutes
Rated: PG-13

The breakdown:  A recovering alcoholic tries to revive her singing career.

I expected that this movie would suck, I mean, come on Gwyneth Paltrow singing?  She needs to leave that to her famous talented husband.  So, it did suck.  It sucked so bad that I had to fast forward through about three quarters of it and I still could keep up without missing anything.  First off, I don't like country music, so there was a lot of people just up on stage singing.  Second of all, the plot was boring and the characters completely two dimensional and empty.  I mean, does anyone actually read the script or listen to people when they pitch these pieces of crap?
If you wanted to see this movie I'm going to spoil it for you right now by talking about the entire movie so stop reading right now.  Although, I really DISCOURAGE you from wasting any of your precious time on Earth watching this so-called "film."

Paltrow starts off the movie in a rehabilitation clinic and her husband/manager McGraw comes and takes her out a month early.  Turns out she was scheduled to perform in Dallas on her last tour months ago and was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving while she was 5 months pregnant to boot.  She lost the baby, and her career was in the balance.
Her husband pushes her to get out and fix her image by doing some shows and press conferences.  Meanwhile, there's a battle from two different up and coming artists trying to be an opening act for her.  One is a guy Paltrow is sleeping with, he was also an employee at the rehab clinic she was just in.  The other is this little itty bitty country pageant queen.  They end up both going on the road with Paltrow and sing duets sometimes.  The public loves this new young thing and it intimidates Paltrow.  She feels old and like a has been.  She struggles with depression and stays on prescription medication for a multitude of problems.  Her husband and her don't get along so well and her boyfriend decides to pull out of the relationship, saying it's not healthy.  Then he turns around and sleeps with the empty headed pageant queen and I guess they become an item.  Meanwhile, Paltrow tries one performance, but gets kinda' scared and backs out after starting a piece of just one song.  Then at a second performance, she doesn't show up at all because she was out getting drunk at some local bar.  Her ex-boyfriend had to go and find her.  So, she's supposed to perform her big comeback in Dallas next.  She shares a heart to heart on being famous with the new girl and gives a great performance.  At the after party, her ex-boyfriend asks her husband where she is and he seems not worried.  The ex goes to find her and she doesn't answer her dressing room door.  He kicks it in and finds her passed out on the couch and a few bottles of pills open on the coffee table.  He's asking her how many pills she took.  She's rushed to the hospital, where she dies.  The end.

You never like any of the characters so you don't care what happens to them.  The plot is dull and lifeless so you don't care what happens.  It's all just so boring.  Do not waste your time.

1/2 out of 5 for wardrobe of Paltrow.