If you've never seen this movie, it is a gem of the cinema world. It's the movie portrayal of the great Loretta Lynn's life, who was Country's Leading Lady and perhaps one of the earliest feminists as well. I first saw the movie when I was about thirteen, and became obsessed with it. My sister got it for me as a Christmas present and my love has not ebbed in the eight years since that first viewing.
The best part of this movie is, quite simply, the acting. Sissy Spacek earned her place as my favorite actress after I saw both CMD and Carrie in succession and realized that her range of characters immersion into the roles is amazing. Sissy has an unconventional beauty--pointy nose, freckles, pale skin--that make her acting all the more genuine, since she isn't just some pretty face given a role for ticket sales.
In CMD, she portrays Loretta Lynn from age thirteen to early middle age. She pulls this off remarkably well, with a face that goes from innocent and wondering to, later in life, one of tired acceptance, as a star who is constantly touring. Sissy also sang all of the songs in the movie and nailed a Kentucky accent. My favorite line from the movie is, "Stop that grellin', Doo, you sound like an old BAR a grellin like that.'" I'll admit--I thought Tommy Lee Jones was damn hot as Sissy's husband, Doolittle Lynn. He has icky dyed blonde hair, but besides that, he is a hulking mass of male. His character is wonderful because it isn't a clear-cut "supportive husband" type role. Right from the start of their marriage, Doo breaks his promises to Loretta's father by hitting her and taking her away from the coal mines. Later in marriage, a scorned Doo cheats on Loretta and drunkenly assaults her for wearing too much makeup. It's enough to create a type of villain, but there is another side to Doo. He is her faithful manager and caretaker, and you can tell that, just as when they married, Loretta remains his heart and the center of his world. It's their fame that almost swallows them up, but, without Doo, that dream would never have been realized in the first place.
The story is also that classic "rags to riches" fare that can't be resisted. Loretta and Doo struggle with four kids on a farm in Washington before they even contemplate a go at the music world. Loretta has to learn the guitar in between doing laundry, looking after the kids, and tending the garden. She writes her own songs and performs them in honky tonks, gathering buzz. But it is their laborious road trip to promote her first record where we see how hard it was for them to break into the nation's consciousness.
I would be a fool to forget Beverely D'angelo's role as Patsy Cline! The friendship between Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn is one of the most famous in country's history, and its love and heart shine through in this movie. Beverly helps Loretta navigate the sometimes heartless gossip and traps in the music industry, and helps her to gain feet as an independent woman, as well. Beverly's strong and rich voice mirror her strength and richness as a primary character in CMD.
In short, Coal Miner's Daughter is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-acted biopic of Loretta Lynn's climb from the coal mines to the top of the country music world. She is "proud to be a coal miner's daughter," and you will be proud for her, too.
The best part of this movie is, quite simply, the acting. Sissy Spacek earned her place as my favorite actress after I saw both CMD and Carrie in succession and realized that her range of characters immersion into the roles is amazing. Sissy has an unconventional beauty--pointy nose, freckles, pale skin--that make her acting all the more genuine, since she isn't just some pretty face given a role for ticket sales.
In CMD, she portrays Loretta Lynn from age thirteen to early middle age. She pulls this off remarkably well, with a face that goes from innocent and wondering to, later in life, one of tired acceptance, as a star who is constantly touring. Sissy also sang all of the songs in the movie and nailed a Kentucky accent. My favorite line from the movie is, "Stop that grellin', Doo, you sound like an old BAR a grellin like that.'" I'll admit--I thought Tommy Lee Jones was damn hot as Sissy's husband, Doolittle Lynn. He has icky dyed blonde hair, but besides that, he is a hulking mass of male. His character is wonderful because it isn't a clear-cut "supportive husband" type role. Right from the start of their marriage, Doo breaks his promises to Loretta's father by hitting her and taking her away from the coal mines. Later in marriage, a scorned Doo cheats on Loretta and drunkenly assaults her for wearing too much makeup. It's enough to create a type of villain, but there is another side to Doo. He is her faithful manager and caretaker, and you can tell that, just as when they married, Loretta remains his heart and the center of his world. It's their fame that almost swallows them up, but, without Doo, that dream would never have been realized in the first place.
The story is also that classic "rags to riches" fare that can't be resisted. Loretta and Doo struggle with four kids on a farm in Washington before they even contemplate a go at the music world. Loretta has to learn the guitar in between doing laundry, looking after the kids, and tending the garden. She writes her own songs and performs them in honky tonks, gathering buzz. But it is their laborious road trip to promote her first record where we see how hard it was for them to break into the nation's consciousness.
I would be a fool to forget Beverely D'angelo's role as Patsy Cline! The friendship between Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn is one of the most famous in country's history, and its love and heart shine through in this movie. Beverly helps Loretta navigate the sometimes heartless gossip and traps in the music industry, and helps her to gain feet as an independent woman, as well. Beverly's strong and rich voice mirror her strength and richness as a primary character in CMD.
In short, Coal Miner's Daughter is a thoroughly enjoyable, well-acted biopic of Loretta Lynn's climb from the coal mines to the top of the country music world. She is "proud to be a coal miner's daughter," and you will be proud for her, too.