Very well executed

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Captivating movie !

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There are dozens of relevant characters as they spend their time in the city of Nashville. The stories weave an interconnected tapestry. There is a forthcoming political rally for Hal Phillip Walker as the Replacement Party candidate for President which is omnipresent throughout the movie.I disliked this movie the first time I tried to watch it. There are so many characters that it's hard to follow anything. It's story chaos. It's not just a matter of being lost. I couldn't see the point of not following the lead characters. After a few half-hearted attempts, I finally gave it a serious try. There is a zen feel about watching this movie. I could lock onto a couple of characters especially played by some of the most recognizable actors. I let the movie wash over me. The singing gets me zoned out. It's a hypnotic form of people watching. It's got the Altman style. I'm not sure whether most modern audiences could ever truly love this.

What is this movie even about? I'm aware asking such a question is reductive in the face of such a vast and overwhelming cinematic accomplishment. Yet despite its melodious and melancholic emotional core and its initial impact as one of the defining films in a decade full of defining films, I still can't help but think Nashville is not meant to be interpreted. This poses a unique challenge for me as a semi-professional critic. The film is not only best appreciated by an audience that treasures experience over contemplation, emotion over logic, but gazes through the slice-of-life story with a lens trying to make sense of post-Watergate era Americana.The story, if one were to find one, follows the lives of numerous interrelated human-beings. All descend on the city of Nashville, Tennessee and all involved (or want to be involved) in the country music industry. Among the crowded field of primary characters is Haven Hamilton (Gibson) the presumed king of Nashville's music scene who also has political ambitions. There's Del (Beatty) and Linnea Reese (Tomlin) a struggling married couple; one's a lawyer the other a gospel singer. There's Tom Frank (Carradine), a self-absorbed folk-rock musician and Barbara Jean (Blakley), a famous and emotionally fragile country talent. Then there are the musical up- and-comers like Connie White (Black) and Tommy Brown (Brown). There are wannabes like Sueleen (Welles) and Albuquerque (Harris) and sycophants like Opal (Chaplin) and L.A. Joan (Duvall), all looking for absolution in a city that promises good times and possible fame.All the characters that I just listed are but a sample of the characters that drift and cross paths between Nashville's seedy nightclubs, cluttered highways and the pristine Grand Old Opry. But lest you think the narrative is too cluttered, every character has their moment to show the audience who they are and how they're changed by events larger than themselves. Meanwhile director Robert Altman captures the pathos of Nashville's microcosm in confident fashion. Characters make decisions that are at times solemn, desperate, tranquil, kind and despicable yet Altman's even hand and watchful eye looks on with fair-minded kindness and humanity.Many of Altman's detractors object to the directors presumed cynicism towards human nature which arguably interjects in some of the director's most famous works. One can't help but take a cursory look at films like M*A*S*H (1972) and The Player (1992) and wholly agree with such an assessment. Yet after my initial trepidation of consuming all things Altman, that criticism holds less sway. Altman seems to immerse and undermine systems not people. You only need to compare the visual hyperbole of M*A*S*H with the drowning pessimism of Catch-22 (1970) to see Altman doesn't dwell on the "insignificance" of man but rather the folly of social constructs. In M*A*S*H it's war; in Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976) it's subjugation of native peoples; in Nashville it's dichotomic politics.In the case of Nashville, not only does Altman attack the binary of American politics in the story (fronted by an unseen pseudo-populist political campaign), he attacks it in how he tells he story as well. The film's narrative can be best described as post-structuralist narrative, that is to say not beholden to an underlying theme or framework. Any attempts to decipher the film would yield a bevy of contradictions that threaten to unravel any theory one can posit. Even if Altman is the director and ultimately the "author" to the film, all the music in the film was written by the actors themselves. The cacophonous sound design was the product of USC wunderkind Jim Webb who miked everyone to allow for a breadth of experience. The editing done by first-time Altman collaborator Dennis Hill gives perspective while restraining a point-of-view. Nashville gives the audience the feeling that no one is at the wheel. Even by approaching the film as a product of Robert Altman's assumed overarching modus aprendi to undermine systems has it's problems.Nashville transcends but not in the way you would expect. It accurately captures the antipathy, the uncertainty and most importantly the humanity of a certain place in time. The film has aged though in the way an autochrome photograph would. Modern audiences can appreciate it as a textured and awe-inspiring cultural accomplishment which dares to challenge film form, story structure and (maybe) the systems which bridles our lives. Without Robert Altman's subtle but indelible contribution to film, there'd be no Richard Linklater, Jim Jarmusch or Paul Thomas Anderson. Nashville showcases Altman's gentle hand, sharp wit and deep love of humanity which we all benefit from.

More than any other film, Nashville will play better the more tone-deaf you are. It features plenty of long scenes where actors portraying professional singers sing dreadfully, over- singing, forcing every. single. note. As someone who sings myself, this aspect really pulls me out of Nashville. For a movie that is famously about Nashville, it finds more joy in soul and folk music than in country. The film's heart is a scene which contrasts a sincere and moving folk performance by Keith Carradine with a terrific and sad scene where Gwen Welles' realises she had been hired to strip instead of for her singing ability. The song featured in this scene "It Don't Worry Me" became a hit apparently. There's also the opening scene which contrasts a pair of recording sessions: a lively gospel one + bad singing by the charming Lily Tomlin with a cold propagandistic country session with Henry Gibson.Its rough as guts, with some scenes set-pieces such as the airport scene early on seeming carefully choreographed, but all the acting has the loose improvisational style common to both Altman and Cassavetes films, which you either love or hate. I tend to find the actors higher calibre in Cassavetes, so Altman sometimes grates on me. Nashville is famous as a trope-originator for Altman's sprawling long films that are broader than they are deep, sort of like Love Actually, where you don't get a full Sleepless in Seattle thing, you get a bunch of tiny versions of it. Here, you get a bunch of musical bio-pics in one, but here there's no attempt to give each the same arc like in Love Actually, its more in Altman's slice of life style. Its absolutely a landmark film, there's not many others like it, and it is entertaining. Your mileage may vary with how picky you are about actors being cast as singers and having several protracted singing scenes that are often squirm-inducing, yet you get the feeling they weren't supposed to be. I've got it on VHS and don't love it enough to upgrade. I've watched my VHS copy twice and have grown attached to its pan and scan ugliness. For me its a picture I like and find fascinating, plus an extra point for being so unique, so 8/10.

Nashville is seen in high regard and is often voted as Robert Altman's best film. Now to the date of this review, I've only seen one other of his films and that is MASH. But I would have to say that this film is better. It's a complicated film that may be worth more than one viewing, but the parody of country music is there and is done quite well. I was laughing quite a bit, but there is an explosive ending and one that came out of nowhere. Despite being a parody, the movie has quite a few excellent songs namely the one sung by Keith Carradine. There is a lot happening in the film, but this character piece is worth the initial confusion.Altman's feature film doesn't really have a defined plot. It is pretty much a tale of what goes on in Nashville, the country capital of the world for a span of several days. There are twenty-four characters whose stories are interwoven with each other. This kind of gave me a sense of what a country-style Woodstock would be like.The film doesn't have any big stars, or whom weren't at its 1975 release date. Elliot Gould may have been the biggest star, and he was just a small cameo. There are many characters here to mention, but I do have a few standouts. Lily Tomlin was excellent as the mother of several deaf kids. Keith Carradine was fabulous in his role of the womanizer. Ronee Blakley was very good as the popular country singer who is plagued by injuries. Finally, Henry Gibson as the popular country singer who always wore white was also great.Overall, Nashville is a very good movie with musical and even political overtones. That last scene reminded me of a certain historical assassination, so that was an interesting finale to watch. The music is great as I found myself singing and dancing to some of the tunes. It may not be obvious at first, but Nashville is a parody and a pretty darn good one of Southern music. Quite frankly, even with so many films under his belt and I need to see, this may be Robert Altman's best film. I rate this film 9/10.