The story of Loretta Lynn, superstar of country music. From her time growing up (as Loretta Webb) in the coal-mining town of Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, to her marrying "Doolittle" Lynn when only 15 years old, their marriage, her taking up singing and playing guitar to her first forays into making music, her making it big and the impact it had on her.Pretty good biopic. I'm not a country music fan, but you have to admire the way she, supported by her husband, made it to the top. No instant fame based on some cheesy televised talent show, she had to do it the hard way, through promoting herself, playing concerts in small venues and sheer talent and perseverance. The portion of the movie that shows her rise to the top is definitely the highlight of the movie. Her childhood gives a good background but is otherwise not that interesting. The conclusion is okay but not that profound or emotional. It's the middle that matters.So what you have is a conventional, linear biopic. No flashbacks, no great profundities, no great personal demons to overcome (biopics tend to thrive on personal demons). What lifts this movie above the average biopic, however, are the performances of Sissy Spacek, as Loretta Lynn, and Tommy Lee Jones, as Doolittle Lynn. Both are fantastic in their roles and the chemistry between them is great too. Spacek won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance.Good support from Beverley D'Angelo as Patsy Cline. Levon Helm (of The Band) gives a solid performance as Ted Webb, Loretta Lynn's father.

Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek) is born to the poor Webbs in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She is 13 when she catches the eye of Doolittle Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) when he returns from the war as a dashing soldier. Soon they're married and she's a mother of 4 by the time she's 19. He buys her a secondhand guitar for their anniversary as she goes on a long journey to country music fame.This is a tour de force performance from Sissy Spacek. She is asked to take on quite a long length of her life. Of course, she's never going to look 13 but Sissy gives as much of that perception as possible. Loretta Lynn comes from a poverty stricken life that is Dickensian. Her rise is the stuff of legends. Through it all, Sissy Spacek gives an Oscar worthy performance. She is believable as a love sick 13 year old as well as a suffering middle age woman. It is as much about her acting than any makeup or lack thereof.

This is one of the great American films. It has so many strengths. The father-daughter bond. The great affection and unselfishness of Lynn's husband in not just supporting her, but steadfastingly urging her to perform. The fantastic, understated but focused performances of Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones that conveys a genuine affection. The way the film depicts a strong, proud Southern culture, even in the father's funeral scene. The close friendship of Lynn with Patsy Cline is a film in itself; how, instead of seeing Lynn as a threat, Cline embraces her and encourages her to forge her own career. Finally, more than 30 years since its release, Coal Miner's Daughter stands the test of time, because it's genuinely a film with heart and soul.

Coal Miner's Daughter Rating: 7/10 Rank among 1980 BP nominees: 4/5Biopic about Loretta Lynn, one of the most beloved country singers ever. The plot line, as such, follows typical biopic conventions, beginning with her slow rise towards stardom, followed by her stumbles and finishing of briefly with her ultimate triumph and enduring status as the "First lady of country music". Lynn was heavily involved in the project, even handpicking Sissy Spacek to portray her. From the outset it's evident where her heart lies: her roots in the beautiful Appalachian region of Kentucky, her family, the folk traditions she grew up with. The final scene of the movie reflects this: Lynn sings proudly about her being a coal miner's daughter, while bringing attention to the almost inhumane conditions suffered by laborers in the region. Scenes which develop an almost ethnographic exploration of social dynamics in Appalachia end up being the most worthy of the whole movie, in my opinion; the indomitable spirit of searching for ways to evade the dreariness of material conditions is a quality which I, as a sociologist, enjoy watching on screen for it represents a pre-condition towards achieving empowerment and a pre-requisite for social change.After starting as a paean to Appalachian folkways, though, it segues into a too quick and not so interesting dissection of Lynn's career and the dynamics of country music, complete with numerous bright eyed references to the Grand Ol' Opry and Patsy Cline. I'm no expert on the history of country but this is precisely which ends up being relevant about this film: The duality between Loretta Lynn and the portrayal of her produced by Spacek is resolved in a document which will be a definitive statement on the genre and why Lynn attained such lofty heights. I got the idea that Loretta Lynn triumphed by becoming a representation of what was so valuable to the many fans of country: strength and resolve in the face of the vices which plague the lives of the economically downtrodden of the southern region of United States. Her supposed feminism, for example, could very well be called "Southern Feminism" as Lynn upholds the conservative values of the region by proclaiming her validity as a woman. When she catches Mooney cheating on her she doesn't separate but rather feels the need of solidifying her bond. This sociological considerations, though, stand in counterpoint to a plot line which lacked interest, for me at least, during the movie's second half, Spacek's spectacular and oh so natural, sporting a very convincing southern nasal drawl, portrayal of a naïve but strong woman notwithstanding. It, of course, won numerous and deserved awards.