Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Robert Altman's great masterpiece of the American Experience, November 2, 2002
I recently rewatched this film for the first time in a long, long time, and was amazed at how much better it was than I remembered. Moreover, I remembered it as being very, very good. In this film, director Robert Altman tracks the interweavings of over twenty major characters over the course of a few days in Nashville. Some of the characters are major Country-Western performers, and others are mere wannabes. All is set against the background of a mysterious third party presidential candidate for the Replacement Party, whose cars and vans drive around the city, broadcasting his commonsensical yet superficial political messages. Altman has always excelled more than anyother director with ensemble casts, and this is the greatest example of that in his career. No one cast member predominates. Ronee Blakley probably should have won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but was hurt by Lily Tomlin's also being nominated. Lily Tomlin and Henry Gibson's performances were both completely unexpected at the time, since both were considered television comedians and had been regulars on Rowan and Martin's Laugh In. But truly, none of the cast members were weak, and most were exceptional. Keenan Wynn was superb as Mr. Green, whose wife is dying of cancer in the film. But the true star of the film is Altman, who is utterly masterful in the way he brings his characters into contact with one another, like a dance director choreographing an immense ballet. One becomes accustomed to seeing all the same faces in one scene or event after another, and for some odd recent it doesn't strike one as at all coincidental. I especially enjoyed seeing Jeff Goldblum's nonspeaking character The Tricycle Man popping up in scene after scene on his triwheel chopper that seems more a parody of EASY RIDER than an imitator. The movie is laced with songs, and what makes them special is the fact that everyone did their own singing and most wrote the songs that they sang. Keith Carradine especially distinguished himself with two great songs, "I'm Easy, " which actually netted the Academy Award that year for best song, and the rousing closing number, "It Don't Bother Me." To be honest, while most of the singers are at least competent (except for the intentionally awful Sueleen Gay, heartbreakingly portrayed by the excellent Gwen Welles), few are truly first rate. The two great exceptions are Ronee Blakley, who manages an utterly stunning Loretta Lynn impersonation, and the improbably spectacular (in the context of the movie) Barbara Harris, whose unexpected rendition of "It Don't Worry Me" provides one of the movie's more amazing moments. Some real Nashville musicians turn up as well. In particular, Vassar Clements, considered by many to be the greatest country fiddler, turns up in a Nashville music club as himself. The movie has many subtle things to say about celebrity and politics, and the ongoing confusion of the two (brought out powerfully by the ending, in which an entertainer rather than a political figure is assasinated, and by the fact that one person is mentioned as a gubernatorial candidate, when his only qualification would seem to be that he was a singer). But the movie has broader appeal than just of the Country Music Capital of America. The film intends to be about America itself. It truly does succeed in being an epic about the American experience. A great, great masterpiece.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
an American masterpiece as it deserves to be seen, August 18, 2000
At last! After years of watching the disgraceful video edition of this with more or less half of the picture missing, Altman fans everywhere can rejoice in this DVD release. It's the movie that finally made me buy a DVD player for it truly demands to be viewed in widescreen. Much of the action takes place within the margins of the frame; likewise, the dialogue is sometimes spoken by characters at the frame's edge and counterpoints the image entirely. Spatially, there's no way this movie is intelligible in anything but widescreen which I believe is one of the reasons it's been neglected since its release; the minute it left theaters, it never translated its brilliant mixture of comedy and tragedy as well again (it would be completely destroyed on commercial TV). "Nashville" is one of the most democratic movies this country has ever produced. Altman weighs every aspect of it equally and every actor comes through just as strongly as the next. It's a career-high for most of them: Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Lily Tomlin, Karen Black, Barbara Harris, Ronee Blakley, Allen Garfield, and Henry Gibson have never been given material this rich again (not coincidentally, many of the performers worked up their own material and some wrote their own songs). Most American movies are centered around the idea that situations and/or objects are only worthy of the camera's attention. This movie declaratively states that it's really people who are endlessly fascinating once you stop and listen long enough to what they have to say. I sincerely hope there is enough interest in this release to warrant future Altman movies on DVD. My list of nominees: California Split, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, 3 Women, Buffalo Bill and the Indians and A Wedding. Many of Altman films from the 1970s are shamefully unavailable in this country. DVD to the rescue!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Altman is alive and well..., December 14, 2004
After "MASH", Robert Altman made some exceptional films, most notably "McCabe & Mrs. Miller". He loved the idea of the ensemble cast. "Nashville" is the first of his mind-blowing endeavors to bring multiple incredible characters together. At 3 hours, the film is not boring for a minute, Character development is so complete. To single out a performance would be tough, but I really liked Barbara Harris as the confused and goofy wannabe who actually brought it all together at the end. Oscar nominated performances from Lily Tomlin and Ronee Blakely (in her film debut) were impressive, as well as Henry Gibson, and a particularly touching performance by Keenan Wynn.Altman is a very precise director, and his devotion to the proceedings is prevalent throughout. The fact that Joan Tewkesbury's amazing screenplay received no recognition still escapes me. Every song in this film is original, and all are great. Blakely's songs are well presented, but one of the most devastating moments is when Keith Carradine sings "I'm Easy" (Oscar winner). It's the first time I remember a Best Song winner being an integral part of the plot of the film (possible exception: Que sara sara from "The Man Who Knew Too Much"). While Carradine sings this song, every woman in the audience thinks he's singing it to her. There are repercussions. Altman is always great, and only gets greater. His next film, "Three Women", was more intimate and so brilliant. The epitome of Altman ensemble has to be "Short Cuts", but don't miss "Cookie's Fortune" or "Gosford Park". "Nashville" is a true American original. Don't miss it!
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