Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

To me, this movie is perfection.

A Brilliant Conflict

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Based on the true story of country singer Loretta Lynn, this biopic follows her from her marriage at the tender of thirteen to the peak of fame. Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her portrait of the protagonist at all stages of her life, including her teenage years. While her transformation throughout is quite a feat, the project is nevertheless compromised by the fact that Spacek never looks younger than nineteen or twenty. There is an intense scene in which her husband (nine years her senior) rapes her on their wedding night, but any impact is lessened by the fact that she in no way looks like a child. The film also takes some rather odd turns with her husband subsequently becoming the one person furthering and pushing forward her career. This may have happened, but as portrayed in the film, it is a baffling 180 degree turn for a person who (at least in the first half of the film) comes off as a little more than an opportunistic child rapist. The film does have a lot of positives though even if some elements do not add up. Beverly D'Angelo is excellent as Patsy Cline, pretty much Lynn's only real friend during her rise to fame. The film also depicts Lynn's coal mining roots in ample detail to point that the contrast is really heartfelt as she sings the title song at the end, and as such, the film works well as a reminder that with effort, anything is possible for those from humble roots.

I felt it incumbent upon me to comment upon Oslo Jargo's review of Coal Miner's Daughter. Every comment by Jargo is skewed and contemptuous as if if he saw a completely different version of the film than everyone else.As there has not been a different version released I can only conclude that Jargo has seen the same movie but has seen it through some layer of distortion. From whence this distortion arises we can only speculate: the screen of his TV was perhaps caked with grime at the time or he had imbibed some kind of mind-bending cocktail of alcohol and narcotics before watching the movie. Or maybe he had just 'had a bad day' - the modern day excuse that justifies having an attitude and being rude.

Okay, can't believe I am going to say this-- but I didn't like it. And I loved this movie when I was a kid in the 80s. But looking at it now, over thirty years later, I can't get over how odd it is hearing someone else sing Loretta Lynn's finest tunes. Let's face it-- as good an actress as she is, Sissy Spacek is not going to be appearing at the Grand Ole Opry anytime soon. I don't understand why Universal didn't pony up and just lease the original recordings and have Sissy lip-sync it. Is this a case of an actress' vanity, wanting to impress audiences that she can sing on a par with a Nashville legend?In a similar vein, I'm not hep on hearing Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon fill in for Johnny & June Carter-Cash in Fox's WALK THE LINE. It sounds phony-- like watching a movie about diamonds, knowing the whole time that the gems on display are actually cubic zirconium.Look instead at what Touchstone did with the hit film WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT-- they knew that as good as Angela Bassett was, a fitting tribute for Tina Turner would be to showcase the songs as originally sung by her. Admittedly, Laurence Fishburne sang Ike's parts, especially on Proud Mary with Tina herself-- but that is understandable given the real- life estrangement of the Turners and the fact that Ike was probably not creatively involved in the film at all. The film was about Tina's story, and it featured her voice on the soundtrack.Anyway, back to COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER-- a big thumbs down. When I watch something where country superstar Loretta Lynn is the main subject, I want to hear her sing, not a pale vocal imitation. In the same way I would not accept Loretta Lynn acting as Sissy Spacek in a biopic about the actress, I do not accept Sissy singing as Loretta. I want the real thing. Please give the cubic zirconium to someone who doesn't know the difference between the original and the fake.

Coal Miner's Daughter Rating: 7/10 Rank among 1980 BP nominees: 4/5Biopic about Loretta Lynn, one of the most beloved country singers ever. The plot line, as such, follows typical biopic conventions, beginning with her slow rise towards stardom, followed by her stumbles and finishing of briefly with her ultimate triumph and enduring status as the "First lady of country music". Lynn was heavily involved in the project, even handpicking Sissy Spacek to portray her. From the outset it's evident where her heart lies: her roots in the beautiful Appalachian region of Kentucky, her family, the folk traditions she grew up with. The final scene of the movie reflects this: Lynn sings proudly about her being a coal miner's daughter, while bringing attention to the almost inhumane conditions suffered by laborers in the region. Scenes which develop an almost ethnographic exploration of social dynamics in Appalachia end up being the most worthy of the whole movie, in my opinion; the indomitable spirit of searching for ways to evade the dreariness of material conditions is a quality which I, as a sociologist, enjoy watching on screen for it represents a pre-condition towards achieving empowerment and a pre-requisite for social change.After starting as a paean to Appalachian folkways, though, it segues into a too quick and not so interesting dissection of Lynn's career and the dynamics of country music, complete with numerous bright eyed references to the Grand Ol' Opry and Patsy Cline. I'm no expert on the history of country but this is precisely which ends up being relevant about this film: The duality between Loretta Lynn and the portrayal of her produced by Spacek is resolved in a document which will be a definitive statement on the genre and why Lynn attained such lofty heights. I got the idea that Loretta Lynn triumphed by becoming a representation of what was so valuable to the many fans of country: strength and resolve in the face of the vices which plague the lives of the economically downtrodden of the southern region of United States. Her supposed feminism, for example, could very well be called "Southern Feminism" as Lynn upholds the conservative values of the region by proclaiming her validity as a woman. When she catches Mooney cheating on her she doesn't separate but rather feels the need of solidifying her bond. This sociological considerations, though, stand in counterpoint to a plot line which lacked interest, for me at least, during the movie's second half, Spacek's spectacular and oh so natural, sporting a very convincing southern nasal drawl, portrayal of a naïve but strong woman notwithstanding. It, of course, won numerous and deserved awards.