Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

Directed by Michael Apted. Starring Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D’Angelo, Levon Helm, Bob Hannah, Phyllis Boyens, William Sanderson. [PG]

Standard-order musician biopic has good performances (including Spacek’s Oscar-winning turn) and popular country music hits, but little else that’s noteworthy. The problem is that the story of “queen of country music” Loretta Lynn isn’t unique enough to warrant interest from those who aren’t ardent fans of the recording artist (even then, they’d probably just rather watch two hours of song performances than the familiar scenes of domestic squabbling and hardscrabble rural life). The final act, detailing the events leading to Lynn’s onstage nervous breakdown, feels rushed compared to the downright moseying pace of her early married life and rise to fame. Helm, of The Band fame, plays Lynn’s father, and several other musicians make appearances as themselves, including Minnie Pearl and Ernest Tubb. Adapted from George Vecsey’s biography

67/100