Nashville (1975)

While this film had a truly realistic feel with some brilliant performances, there were just too many characters to keep track of. 

Ronee Blakley is sort of the main character, as adorable country star Barbara Jean who recently survived a devastating fire only to collapse and nearly suffer a mental breakdown before her miraculously recovery. She's much loved and appears to be the headliner of the show, the music festival in Nashville. But there are others, Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson) is the old-fashioned star, but is supportive of the younger generation. Karen Black is Connie White, another country singer who replaces Barbara Jean on the first day of performances. 

The second best performance of the film belongs to Lily Tomlin, who portrays Linnea Reese, the white singer of an all-black gospel choir, who is also unhappily married to Del (Ned Beatty) and the devoted mother of two deaf children, something she isn't upset about about much to the surprise of British documentarian, Opal (Geraldine Chaplin). She is also an affair with Tom Frank (Keith Carradine) who is breaking free of his trio and sings the Oscar-winning song: I'm Easy, which is one of the several great songs in this film. 

The established stars are complimented by up-and-comers: Albaquerque (Barbara Harris), escaping an unsupportive husband and Sueleen (Gwen Wells) who can't recognize that her singing voice is truly terrible and as a result, she is basically forced to strip to keep her job. 

Still, despite all the characters, the film still makes time for plot twists and turns, and everyone is pretty much interconnected, but I just couldn't keep them straight and the videocassette stops in the middle of a scene and then you have to switch cassette tapes which is just stupid and annoying. Still, the film was a delight (although the ending is just tragic) and one that can be easily watched again. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-The only two stars nominated for Oscars where Ronee Blakley and Lily Tomlin (shockingly her only nomination), and both were well-deserved. Neither would win.

-Of course Linnea would sleep with Tom over her husband, after all, her husband is Ned Beatty.

-The car crash scene in the beginning is certainly interesting and leads Opal to being obsessed with junkyards and American cars and consumerism.