On C List of Movie Reviews

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Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 2/26

2/26: Sissy Spacek successfully sheds her Carrie reputation by giving an Oscar-winning performance in Coal Miner's Daughter.

As much accolades as she got, having done all her singing as Loretta Lynn, I'm surprised that Tommy Lee Jones was barely acknowledged. He did a lot of the work, and this was equal partnership for both of them. Beverly D'Angelo is another treat as Patsy Cline.

There aren't many films set in the Appalachian Mountains. If so, the people tend to be deranged killers or made fun of due to their stereotypical hillbilly image. Hence, it's a complete change of scenery. When the language is spoken, it sounds authentic. So is the cinematography.

At the beginning, it may seem pedophilic when Doo was courting Loretta at the age of 13, but this turned out to be a lie; she was actually about three years older. On the other hand, Patsy Cline died in a plane crash at night, not in the morning. Loretta had her twins almost two years after that.

All in all, a reviewer said, "The true measure of success is how the film captures an audience, who DON'T know the person, and wins their hearts," and Coal Miner's Daughter is such that.

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