After recently watching "Walk The Line", I was recommended "Coal Miner's Daughter" by a family member. While it isn't a bad movie by any means, I felt that it lacked the energy need to truly be a great film.
For a basic plot summary, the movie focuses on the life of Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek), who goes from dirt-poor in a mining town to arguably country music's greatest female superstar. Along the way, she meets and marries Doolittle (Tommy Lee Jones), as well as forms a relationship with fellow singer Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo).
Like I said, the main problem with "Coal Miner's Daughter" is that it lacks the kind of pulsating energy that I find define my favorite biopics ("Walk the Line" & "Ray" come immediately to mind). I know that the movie is supposed to accurately depict reality, but his IS Hollywood, and thus some drama is needed to keep it from being a documentary. That drama was missing from most of the film.
There are two things that I really did like about the film:
1. Spacek & Jones act their parts tremendously and have great chemistry on screen. They are a joy to watch.
2. Roughly the first half of the movie (depicting life in a mining community) is excellent. It is a very compelling portrayal of the type of culture Loretta came from, as well as how her relationship with "Dool" began.
Sadly, once Loretta and Dool move to Nashville in search of a record deal, the film really slows down...almost to a screeching halt at some points. It's almost like the title indicates: the filmmakers knew how to do a great "coal miner's daughter" setting, but once Loretta actually becomes a country star, things really get stale.
Overall, "Coal Miner's Daughter" is a decent biopic piece that has since been both exceeded and overshadowed by other films of its same ilk. Unless you really have an interest in this specific story, or you really like classic country music, you might struggle with this one a bit too.
For a basic plot summary, the movie focuses on the life of Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek), who goes from dirt-poor in a mining town to arguably country music's greatest female superstar. Along the way, she meets and marries Doolittle (Tommy Lee Jones), as well as forms a relationship with fellow singer Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo).
Like I said, the main problem with "Coal Miner's Daughter" is that it lacks the kind of pulsating energy that I find define my favorite biopics ("Walk the Line" & "Ray" come immediately to mind). I know that the movie is supposed to accurately depict reality, but his IS Hollywood, and thus some drama is needed to keep it from being a documentary. That drama was missing from most of the film.
There are two things that I really did like about the film:
1. Spacek & Jones act their parts tremendously and have great chemistry on screen. They are a joy to watch.
2. Roughly the first half of the movie (depicting life in a mining community) is excellent. It is a very compelling portrayal of the type of culture Loretta came from, as well as how her relationship with "Dool" began.
Sadly, once Loretta and Dool move to Nashville in search of a record deal, the film really slows down...almost to a screeching halt at some points. It's almost like the title indicates: the filmmakers knew how to do a great "coal miner's daughter" setting, but once Loretta actually becomes a country star, things really get stale.
Overall, "Coal Miner's Daughter" is a decent biopic piece that has since been both exceeded and overshadowed by other films of its same ilk. Unless you really have an interest in this specific story, or you really like classic country music, you might struggle with this one a bit too.