Coal Miner's Daughter

Rating:
Summary: One of the best dat-gum movies ever!
Review: Finally, it's on DVD!

Okay, I'm one of those folks who knows this movie up and down, back and forth, word-for-Kentucky-word, and proud of it!

I remember seeing this film on the big screen in 1980, when I barely knew who Loretta Lynn was, and I loved it dearly from that moment on.

If this film hadn't been up against my other all-time favorite movie for the Best Picture Oscar in 1980, it should have (and would have) won, hands-down.

I waited for years for this film to finally be released on DVD, and I wasn't disappointed. My VHS edition, while as wonderful as a pan&scan movie can be, was worn out from repeated viewing. The quality of the picture and sound on the DVD is superb, as are the special features, including an interview with Director Michael Apted and Miss Loretta Lynn herself, as well as a rememberance by Tommy Lee Jones. Once you've watched the whole film all the way through, you'll want to watch it again with the commentary by Sissy Spacek and Director Michael Apted.

Even if you have never heard the name "Loretta Lynn", you'll adore and treasure your "Coal Miner's Daughter" DVD.

My Jaw's-a-swellin' up - from pure happiness!

Rating:
Summary: Best Country Bio Picture Ever Made .Loretta is the QUEEN !
Review: I never grow tired of this movie. I have seen it over 100 times since it was released in 1980.I own it on laser disc,VHS and hope to find it on DVD. Sissy Spacek did a outstanding job playing the "Queen Of Country Music," Loretta Lynn. She more than earned the Oscar & golden globe awards show won. The soundtrack album is also a winner ! Everyone cast in this film was perfect. This film received 7 Academy Award nominations includeing BEST PICTURE. Loretta Lynn is still going strong 20 years after this movie was released. I seen her in concert recently and she still rules as the "QUEEN." I look foward to a sequal to this all time favorite film.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie Biography
Review: Some movies are so excellent that words are insufficient to describe that excellence. Such is the case with "Coal Miner's Daughter," a movie that relies on an effectively told story of Loretta Lynn to carry the film rather than flashy special effects and action. The script is brought to life by the incredible talents of the actors, most especially Sissy Spacek, in one of the best performances of her career.

"Coal Miner's Daughter" spans the era from the late 1940s to the early 70s, focusing principally on Loretta Lynn from age 13 to her rise to fame as the best-selling female country artist. It's easy to look at Loretta's early life as an artifact of some ancient time, but in fact Loretta's life and the life of her family was quite typical in some rural areas in The United States in that era, and many of us are the children or grandchildren of similar families. This movie is thus not only the story Loretta Lynn, but is also the story of many Americans.

Sissy Spacek sang all the songs for the movie, which is available on CD. Sissy received an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Loretta Lynn, the only Oscar awarded to the film of the seven nominations. Sissy sounds so incredibly like Loretta Lynn that sometimes I find it difficult to know whether a Loretta Lynn CD or the movie soundtrack is playing. Sissy's phenomenal acting talent made her Loretta Lynn.

Sissy was well supported in her role by other excellent talents. The multi-talented Tommy Lee Jones played the part of Loretta's philandering husband Mooney Dolittle. Tommy Lee played the role very well within the limits of the screenplay. My only complaint is that I felt that Mooney was portrayed in a much milder way than his actual personality. I believe most viewers will perceive traits in Tommy Lee's character that are indications of the real Mooney.

Beverly D'Angelo is outstanding as brash and outgoing Patsy Cline, for a time Loretta's idol, best friend and mentor in the country music world. Patsy had a lot of influence on how naïve Loretta perceived the world and how she reacted to things. Beverly sang Patsy's songs and matched Sissy in the quality of her performance.

Also appearing in this movie were Levon Helm and Phyllis Boyens as Loretta's parents. I read that Loretta was shocked by the appearance of Levon Helm in his makeup and clothes because he looked so much like her father. This couple in role could have easily been the models for the picture "American Gothic." Another appearance worthy of note was that of Earnest Tubb as himself.

Loretta Lynn's story is such a grand story because she exemplifies the dream we all have of making our way in the world. Loretta's father was, as the title suggests, a coal miner. Coal mining is a difficult, dirty job with a lot of risk. During the time of Loretta's youth coal miners would typically get their paycheck and then go to the company store to buy food and pay their debt. In many ways working for a mine in those times was nearly like slavery or indentured servitude. Mooney and Loretta escape by first traveling to the west coast, and ultimately by capitalizing on Loretta's abilities as a singer and songwriter. Ultimately Loretta became a multi-millionaire with a wide range of business interests. This movie presents a rags-to-riches story to inspire us all.

Rating:
Summary: There's no salt in a chocolate pie!
Review: After having watched Sweet Dreams, I became curious about watching Coal Miner's Daughter because I love both Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. Well, it came on telivision and my Dad taped it for me. It quickly became a new favorite. Some parts are scary like when Loretta and her boyfriend almost fell off the cliff. Some parts are sad like when Patsy Cline died. But I really get a big laugh out of Loretta substituting salt for sugar in her chocolate pie.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable whether you like country music or not
Review: Whether or not you have an appreciation for Country Music or Loretta Lynn herself, you'll surely be entertained by this rags-to-riches biopic in the same vein as, 'La Bamba,' and, 'Sweet Dreams.' Great performances are in no short supply here with Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones in what would turn out to be career-making performances for the both of them. As good as Spacek and Jones are the supporting role that 'steals' the film in my book is Beverly D'Angelo's spirited performance as Patsy Cline.

While the video transfer quality of this 2003 released DVD is excellent, what baffles is the lack of a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Surely a movie dripping from start to finish in vibrant Country music deserves more then the Dolby 2.0 Mono audiomix on the disc. Very puzzling indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Stands alone
Review: As far as musical biographies are concern, coal miner's daughter stands alone. It is about the life and career of country legend Loretta Lynn, based on the autobiography of the same name. The music is fantasic, Sissy Spacek did her own singing and look and sounded amazingly like Loretta Lynn. Some say The Buddy Holly Story is just as good. It is also a fantastic movie with great music. But, unlike Sissy Spacek, Gary Busey is not doing his own singing. The movie mainly concentrates on Buddy Holly's career. Coal Miner's Daughter accurately portrays Loretta Lynn's early impoverished life in Butcher Holler, Kentucky. The movie is a good ethnographic portrayal of life in Applachia. Plus the movie does a good job in portraying the world of country music and life on the road. Coal Miner's Daughter is a great story of a person who was married at age 13 and had for kids by age 20 and ended up being one of the major country music and entertainment figure throughout the world.

Rating:
Summary: Diamonds From Coal.
Review: I LOVE this movie. This heartwarming, true rag-to-riches film about the life of Loretta Lynn took even the most sophisticated audiences by surprise when it was first released. Sissy Spacek is wonderfully accurate in her portrayal of the legendary but still humble and approachable country music star. This film made people who HATED country music take a second look. The story of the backwards, backwoods, painfully shy little girl whose simple, self-penned, biographical songs made her a huge star with almost unequaled # 1 country hits, is just as touching and great as when it was released. Tommy Lee Jones is perfect as "Doo", the man who stood by his woman, and Beverly D'Angelo gives a memorable performance as the legendary Patsy Cline. The fact that Spacek and D'Angelo so effectively do all their own singing, considering the shoes they had to fill, just makes this film all that much of a wonder. Levon Helm, of The Band, is also very good as "Lorettys" daddy. Just an all- around terrific film, with many touching moments from a by-gone time, when a little girl with a record could tap on the radio station window one day, and be a star a week later. Sissy Spacek's Oscar winning performance makes for a total class production about a total class lady. Loretta Lynn became one of this city boys favorites since seeing this film, and she remains so... a true, greatly admired, humanitarian *star*, who could teach most other celebrities a thing or two about "stardom". A perfect film for the whole family, the ultimate "feel good" movie. Thanks Loretty !! (And Sissy, too.) Just GREAT!!

Rating:
Summary: Good biography of Loretta Lynn
Review: My aunt and cousin were watching "The Coal Miner's Daughter" and I wasn't really wanting to watch it. There wasn't anything else to do, so I watched it. It was actually a pretty good movie. It tells the biography of Loretta Lynn all the way from how she struggled becoming a mother at the age of 14 all the way to when she forgot the lyrics on stage one night. It also has everything in between such as her becoming friends with Patsy Cline and how she achieved superstardom and became the queen of country music.

Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones put on great performances as do the others in the movie. Sissy Spacek sings all the songs herself and does a great job as Loretta Lynn. If you like biographical movies, you need to see "The Coal Miner's Daughter."

Rating:
Summary: FINALLY! Loretta on DVD
Review: I remember being 10 years old and seeing this movie in the theater. Every time it came on TV I watched it. When we got a VCR, I retaped it every time it played just to have a fresh copy. I owned the VHS and now FINALLY after all these years, I have it on DVD.

This is one of the best movies ever made. The acting was so real it was amazing. I never thought of the characters as Sissy and Tommy Lee, I always thought of them as Loretta and Doo. It's one of the string of "Biography" movies to come out, like La Bamba, Sweet Dreams and The Buddy Holly Story.

The music. 'nuff said! The performances are just incredible. The old Grand Ole Opry gang was still alive and they were in the picture such as Ernest Tubb, Minnie Pearl, & Roy Acuff. Of course, Loretta... I mean Sissy's performances were stellar. In the DVD bonus interview with Loretta, she said that she taught Sissy how to play and sing her songs. And boy did she do a good job! All the way from the nervous but cute Loretta in the honky tonk singing "There He Goes" to the lovely queen of country music singing "Coal Miner's Daughter", the sound of her voice and the music perfectly imitates Loretta.

Someone said that they wanted a 5.1 soundtrack to the movie. Well... the movie was recorded in stereo. The country songs in the movie for the most part were in glorious 1950s one-speaker mono to give that authentic 1950s country sound. It plays mostly through the center channel and that's good enough.

The bonus materials also show Loretta's Coal Miner's Daughter museum. It houses alot of pieces from her past as well as alot of stuff from the movie. It will be interesting to go actually see this and be able to see it in person.

If you love CMD, get this DVD! If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? DO IT!

Rating:
Summary: A household tradtion---worth YOUR time
Review: My husband and watch this movie at least once a year. Yes, it's THAT good. uh-huh, you say, a movie about a poor Kentucky girl and her womanizing husband. Yee haw. No, seriously, it is A GREAT film. So much is going on in this movie--not plot wise in terms of things blowing up--but in the emotional interaction between husband and wife. The growth of the characters is heart-tugging to watch.

Loretty and Do are too unusual characters, two unusual people who found one another. That's really something in this world. After watching this, you can;t imagine either one of them with anyone else!

And, Loretta's story is down right interesting, people. Definitely worth a look.