Nashville

This is literally going to be the worst post ever because I didn't learn, apparently, that I need to post about a movie right after I watch it. I seriously finished watching this movie last Monday night and I've put off writing about it, because I don't really know what to say and I really have no reason to rush. That's pretty awesome to say, though - I could take like, over an entire week to write a post because whatever. 

So, forever ago I watched Nashville, directed by Robert Altman in 1975. I sort of hated and sort of loved the movie. I hated it because I hate country music, especially the kind that I had to listen to for three hours over the course of the film. I liked the ending of it, though, where all the different characters came together and interacted. It's one of those things where I wouldn't have the satisfying ending if I didn't sit through the rest of it, but I still just didn't really care too much about it overall. I feel really lazy saying I just didn't really care for the music so I didn't care about the movie, but eh, it's pretty much how I feel.
 Even Ebert sort of struggles to summarize the plot here. I'm struggling because of my overall apathy. To be honest, I've put off writing about this for so long that I'm starting to forget it. Ok, I know. Never again. The film has a bunch of different people involved with country music doing different things that vaguely relate to each other. There are a lot of characters and a lot of side plots, and they all come together during a concert at the Parthenon in Nashville. There's aspiring country singers who suck at singing, a weird politician who drives around blaring political commentary, a weird BBC lady who says she's making a documentary but is never seen with a camera crew, that sort of thing. I already feel like I've made it more interesting than it really is.

I don't what it was that didn't work so well for me. Some of the characters were interesting, and it had everything that I like about Robert Altman's style, like his mostly improvised overlapping dialogue. I just didn't find all of the characters to be too engaging, and I think maybe there were just...too many of them? I sound like such a whiny baby about it, but it was hard to really care strongly for anyone because there were so many different characters doing different things. I felt like sometimes I would start to like a character for doing something funny and it would either become overplayed (The BBC reporter eventually just got on my nerves) or the scene would end, and I'd be a little annoyed.

I feel really conflicted, because on one hand I really hated the bad country music and how long and boring a lot of the movie was, but there was also tons of good Altman stuff and a good ending. And I read on the interwebs that country music stars hated it because they felt it made them look bad, which made me instantly like it a little more. It also had Jeff Goldblum for a little bit which is good as well. It's described as a black comedy, but I guess I didn't find it funny enough to like it. Or I hate country music enough that even making fun of it isn't fun for me.

Sorry this is the worst blog ever. When I do watch Great Movies I promise I'll actually write a post right away so you don't have to read something this horrible. Honestly the only reason I still wrote and posted about this was because I had no desire to have to watch the movie again.