Country Strong The Rewatchables
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Country Strong

Most Rewatchable Scene

Kelly's charity visit with Travis

In the discussion (19)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:04Read transcript
  • First nominee: Kelly's first scene, workshopping "Timing Is Everything" with the sponsor; A Star Is Born may have borrowed the device of two people workshopping a song.
  • Asterisk on the sponsor: he is technically the janitor at the rehab facility, which raises HIPAA and rehab questions.
  • That scene establishes that Kelly is damaged but really talented, with a real connection to Bo, before Tim McGraw walks in with a suspicious look.
  • Nominee: Bo saves Chiles from bombing on stage by coming in with a guitar; he sounds great though not miked, but it is unclear whether he likes her.
  • Scenes where performers bomb on stage and nobody saves them are excruciating, and singing is awkward unless done really well, so the rescue is welcome. — Amanda Dobbins
  • Songs are played at length, making "Friends in Low Places" a sing-along and one of the movie's only happy moments.
  • Nominee: the on-stage duet between Bo and Chiles; every rewatchable scene involves a song, so the movie can be watched like a concert video, with songs better than usual for movies.
  • Not a single Star Is Born song comes to mind, while the Country Strong songs are still remembered after ten years; "Shallow" is offered as the famous one.
  • Actually singing rather than lip-syncing is a huge advantage; the Oscar for the Queen movie is criticized because its lead lip-synced, and a case for Val Kilmer in The Doors is disputed.
  • Nominee: Kelly's charity visit where she sings the new song "Travis"; called her Oscar scene, the scene that shows it is not a bad movie, with the cut to Tim McGraw showing she will never recover from losing the baby.
  • The Travis scene makes the speaker cry every time and is called a favorite; the child playing Travis is praised and it is the best expression of that plot line.
  • Nominee: backstage at the Dallas concert Kelly gives Chiles a list of advice, including never wearing satin on stage, avoiding laxatives and carbonated drinks on show days, wearing high heels, not worrying about writing her own songs, and never hiding anything from fans.
  • The advice scene is one of the only real interactions between the two women; it pays off their drunk van conversation where the younger singer asks if they are friends, and the reply from Kelly is no.
  • Nominee: Kelly's Dallas concert, framed as an older alcoholic Taylor Swift comeback; she says the title and raises her arm over her head like Taylor Swift's concert dancing.
  • Kelly's final-concert ponytail and curls look genuinely like Taylor Swift; Taylor was invited on the podcast and did not respond.
  • Nominee: the ending, when Bo brings Chiles on stage for a duet.
  • Final pick: Kelly finally on stage in Dallas doing the three-song set and saying "Country Strong," for its pure star power.
  • Final pick: the Travis scene, one of the few moments of joy in a very dark movie.
  • Final pick: the Travis scene as well; the speaker's wife, who watches the movie often, likes the near-end slow dance between Gwyneth and Tim McGraw among sick kids, where she drops Travis quickly.