In the old days of the studio system a man like George Strait would have been given a Hollywood contract and put into westerns. That's how it worked for a number of people on the country circuit, most prominently Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. But westerns aren't being done, certainly none for singing cowboys. In a few years George Strait would have handled dialog like a veteran.Strait's a likable enough guy, but as an actor he's a great country singer. Still he passes muster in a role that's not too taxing, playing a country singer who takes an unscheduled hiatus from his tour and finds true love with a young woman who is the daughter of struggling rancher Rory Calhoun.Strait's not happy with the way his career is going. It's all about the glitz and glamor of the concert, no one's listening to him sing any more. So he ditches the long hair in a ponytail and beard and just leaves. Manager Lesley Ann Warren seeing all kinds of tour dates canceled with the loss in money, shoves one of the roadies and would be country singer himself and her special boy toy Kyle Chandler in front of the microphone to complete the tour. In the darkened smoke filled concerts with a tape going of the real Strait no one can tell the difference.In the meantime Strait's falling for Isabel Glasser and gets involved with her family ranch and their real struggles in real life. I think you get some idea where this is going.This film was the farewell big screen performance of Rory Calhoun and I have to say, I had to look twice even though I saw his name in the credits when I realized he was playing Isabel Glasser's father. He looked terrible, like he had gone through some bad health issues.For country fans you'll have a full soundtrack of George Strait's hits and he's a great singer. It's the main asset of Pure Country.

A number of people said you have to like country to like this movie. I pretty much hate country, with a few exceptions, and liked it.I think a lot of it had to do with it's humor, and with the generally decent acting and dialog.I found some of the dialog quite clever for a country movie.I don't remember if I liked the music or not, probably not as I generally hate country. As I recall, it's a lot better than songs about sexy tractors though.And I think a lot of us can relate to concept of being burned out in our jobs.

I was Living in Terrell Tx when this movie was filmed at Don Gay's ranch (former PBR champ) on County rd 353 i believe. I watched the filming of this movie and every time it is on TV i watch it or at least flick back and forth. It is a good movie to watch when you need to clear your head because as he is reminiscing you do the same. I highly recommend this movie for anyone. The Story line in this movie is one of the best that i have seen it ties in friendship, and relationship and shows that no matter how bad things seem to be sometimes if you follow your roots you can rediscover who you really are and that is important these days. The whole family can watch this movie. It is not only worth watching but a worth wild add to your DVD collection

This movie was very enjoyable. I found the acting to be reasonable, the music great and the storyline believable. It held my attention for its entirety and watching it was a pleasure not a chore. I would definitely recommend it to country music lovers. The actors were credible in the roles and this movie contained no unpleasantness (eg unnecessary violence, swearing etc). This is a movie which could be enjoyed by all ages of viewer. It is a foot-tapping experience and was greatly entertaining. George Strait is an excellent country music singer and in this (his debut acting role) did a very good job. I would like to see any others he may have made since.