The first half of the film is strong, as Spacek, all pluck and naivete, leaves the poor back country of Kentucky--with Mooney at her side--for the road to superstardom. There she meets Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo), already a success in the country-western world, who takes the young and talented hillbilly under her wing. I admired the way Apted and screenwriter Thomas Rickman take the time to build the characters and the tumultuous relationship between Lynn and Mooney.
The second act follows Lynn's career trajectory a bit too swiftly, moving from gig to gig, and year to year, with alarming speed. We're expected to sympathize with the road-weary ingenue, and her struggle to accept her fame, but it all happens so darn fast, we never really get a sense of who she is. This might have been a great film, if only Apted and Rickman had been a little more consistent.
Still, Coal Miner's Daughter is worth a look, if a nostalgic one, for Spacek's terrific performance--and for Jones', too, for that matter.
1980; starring Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones; directed by Michael Apted; 125 min; PG; in English.
