Cooke Communications Film Critic

Gwyneth Platrow wowed the audience at the 44th Country Music Awards with her rendition of “Country Strong.” She got a standing ovation.

The song is from her new film of the same name, “Country Strong.” It's out on DVD April 12.

The story line is familiar, a country music superstar coming out of rehab to try for a comeback. And the song-packed movie is in many ways like one long music video. But I liked its good casting, winning performances, and original music. The actors performed their own songs with the aplomb of Grand Ol' Oprey stars.

Oscar-winner Gwyneth Platrow is very credible as a country music star called Kelly Canter. Kelly's at the end of her road, drinking too much, unhappy in her marriage, heartsick over a miscarriage, dallying with an up-and-coming young singer-songwriter.

Kelly's husband-manager is played by Tim McGraw, himself a country music star. His character is more interested in selling albums than having a successful marriage.

Beau, the young up-and-comer, is played by Garrett Hedlund (he was Jeff Bridges' son in “Tron: Legacy”). His relaxed, ingratiating manner comes across in his performances, whether singing in a bar or a packed stadium.

The film's ingénue is played by Leighton Meester. A beauty queen-turned-singer, Chiles is the one nipping at Kelly Canter's heels. She's described as a Country Barbie.

“Country Strong” gives us a wide range of sounds. Kelly represents prime country, while Beau is Texas country, and Chiles is pop country.

Growing up in New York City, Gwyneth Platrow had never really been exposed to country music before taking on this role. “So I watched ‘Tender Mercies' a lot, and ‘Coal Miner's Daughter.' And I watched a lot of DVD performance videos to prepare and I studied all of the ladies of country. I was playing a huge country music star, which was much more daunting, because some movies are about somebody who is trying to make it or are on their way to making it, but she's on the way down and had been this massive star. So I was like, ‘Wait a minute, how do you play being a huge country star?' So I just watched everybody.”

Gwyneth Platrow debuted her singing ability in 2000's “Duets,” a film directed by her late father Bruce Platrow. Nonetheless, for “Country Strong” she went into training. “Well, I had never studied voice and I have a naturally, perfectly nice singing voice,” she says. “But these songs had a lot of scope to them and I really needed to build up a strength. And my singing teacher was really a task master and was really focused on getting a much bigger voice out of me, which I was surprised to find in myself.”

“Country Strong,” the empowering anthem that she delivered live on the CMA Awards, has turned out to be a surprise Top 40 country hit. And the Golden Globes has nominated the film's “Coming Home” as the year's Best Original Song.

As the character Beau says, “Just because it's on the radio doesn't mean it's good.” But in this case, it is.