Travis Child (Dennis Quaid) is a skirt-chasing hard-drinking country singer. His sister Amanda Child (Kristy McNichol) is his tough driven manager pushing to go to Nashville. They've been on the road for six months and always on the run from jealous boyfriends/husbands or general mayhem. They get separated. Amanda is stopped by deputy Conrad (Mark Hamill). Travis gets arrested after hitting a cop.The plot isn't anything special. The production is relatively lower grade. The movie does have two very charismatic performances. Quaid is terrific and a solid singer. McNichol is wonderful as the spunky teen with definite edge. I love them both. The country singing is pretty catchy. The movie runs a little long but it has the fine performances and Luke Skywalker, too.

I saw this film several times as a young teen. It's not the greatest film but it's not bad and a little bit underrated on IMDb. The country music film is a comedy-drama with a little action thrown in here and there. The movie also has a little romance in it as well. It is one of those lesser known films that I think more people would like if they took the time to view the movie.Fans of country-western films like "Urban Cowboy", "Cole Miner's Daughter", "Crazy Heart" and "Tender Mercies" might like this film.The movie is also a good recommendation for the people that like "hidden gems" - films that most people have forgotten even existed. Give "The Nights the Lights Went Out in Georgia" a chance one day when you are in the mood for something different than your normal film genre favorites.7/10

Let me say that most people who have reviewed "The Nights The Lights Went Out In Georgia" have never seen it (The person who said the entire movie can be summed up in 3 minutes, by listening to either the Vicki Lawrence or Reba versions is dead wrong). First off, it is a hard to find film (Not out on DVD). Next, the character that is the Big Brother in the song is named Andy and that is NOT the character here. In fact, the only thing that it has in common with the song is Big Brother dies, and Little Sister has a big gun (More on that later). Two questions: Does Little Sister (Amanda), kill anyone like she does in the song? Equally important is why does Big Brother die? I will not tell, but it is NOT the same as in the song. Watch the film (If you can find it) and learn why. On to the film itself: Lets start with what it has: The ultra-rare version of Tanya Tucker singing the title track, a great Dennis Quaid (Travis Child) performance, and seeing Kristy McNichol (Amanda), actually looking good for a change. It is about a brother and sister who are heading through rural Georgia, on their way to Nashville. Travis is the one with the talent, and Amanda with the brains and desire to get him to the top. Travis's problem is he likes whiskey and women too much, and Amanda is always getting him out of messes. There are three other main characters in this film: Melody (Sunny Johnson), who Travis falls hard for, Seth Ames (Don Stroud), a psychotic Sheriff, and Trooper Conrad ( Mark Hamill), who is the film's moral compass, who sees the direction that Travis is heading to (Self Destruction), and wants to save Amanda from the same fate (And ends up falling in love with her). Spoilers: There is a key moment in the film where Amanda got an audition for Travis with a Nashville Record Producer (He did not show because he was drunk), and instead, Amanda took his place, and was a hit, and the Producer said if she is in Nashville, look him up. Amanda was not happy that Travis did not show, but he explained that "This is your dream, it was never mine." (He would rather be with Melody). It was the last time she saw her brother alive. After she buried him, she packed up her dog and her few things and drove her pickup truck for Nashville. However, Trooper Conrad flagged her down, and she had no idea why. He comes out in boxer shorts and his hat, and says to her "I am not letting you go." And explained he actually hid a bag in her truck, and they headed off to start a new life together. The ending is interesting because it is a similar ending to another film I reviewed "Corvette Summer" where straight laced Hamill does the same thing he does here.... Abandons a comfort zone life, to head off into the unknown with a woman. I prefer this film, because it is good from start to finish, the beginning of "Corvette Summer" was not great (Although I prefer the character of Vanessa (Annie Potts) to Amanda(Looks and acting)), the performances of Quaid (See him sing "Amanda") and Stroud stand out, as does Tanya's title track, and one particular line from Conrad to Amanda I really like: "We belong together, we even shoot the same gun (44 Magnum)." Basically this rarity is much better than most people think. 10/10 Stars

Loosely based on Vicki Lawrence's notoriously trashy country story song, this unexpectedly amiable and engrossing dramatic feature about ordinary small-time dreamers who aspire to greater things in life makes for a perfectly nice and affecting character-oriented slice-of-everyday-life affair, specifically centering on how going for the gold in life takes a lot of courage and determination. Dennis Quaid portrays his part with a winningly scruffy, roguish charm; he's a reckless ne'er-do-well womanizing hellion striving to make it big in Nashville as a country singer. Kristy McNichol is likewise on the money, radiating her usual spunky appeal as Quaid's headstrong, ambitious and highly precocious 16-year-old sister who acts as Quaid's manager and does her best to keep her wayward brother in line. The duo's major league plans go astray when Quaid runs afoul of belligerent sticksville town sheriff Don Stroud. Quaid, Stroud and McNicol all give fine performances, but it's Mark Hamill who takes the acting honors with his shockingly good turn as the decent, sympathetic state trooper who befriends McNicol and falls in love with her. Director Ronald F. Maxwell shows a lovely, uplifting sure feel for these hugely endearing commonplace individuals, depicting their mundane lives and go-for-the-glory aspirations without the slightest whiff of cheap sentiment or condescension. Moreover, the country music score totally cooks, with both Quaid and McNicol contributing a few surprisingly up-to-par tunes (yes, they both sing -- and extremely well, too!). Granted, this flick ain't without its flaws: the meandering opening third starts off pretty shaky and the tragic ending is abrupt and dissatisfying. But overall this unjustly overlooked picture rates as a real sleeper.