Nashville (1975)

A film that many consider to be director Robert Altman's cinematic masterpiece, 1975's 'Nashville' is an important piece of American film and one of the best ever made. The film starts with a large group of people from all walks of life, including a BBC interviewer, a woman running away from her husband in search of fame, a group of various musicians, and a political rally trying to buy favor from them. Over the course of five days, we see the true side of fame as well as the cost of such life and American society as a whole. Right off the bat, I'd like to say that this is a film that requires multiple viewings in order to truly appreciate it and dig into its various themes. It is a film that naturally fits into any film theory class, with themes of celebrity worship, violence in society, the rise and fall of fame, and the destruction lurking under the surface of glamor and beauty of it all. All of this in just two and a half hours and thanks to the films all-star cast and fabulous direction by Altman, it flows so beautifully.

Upon watching the first few minutes, you will likely feel the same way I did and wonder just where exactly is this movie going? Do these characters all relate somehow? Is there going to be an overarching plot? But 'Nashville' quickly gets into the groove and once it does, its such a smooth ride. The cast is wonderful and immense and one you'd never see today in a Hollywood film today. You get the likes of Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Ronee Blakely, Karen Black, and so much more and they're all superb here. Even the lesser roles all seem to bring the film together somehow, with the strangest and funniest standout being a young Jeff Goldblum as the silent motorcyclist who's somehow always around in some capacity. Naturally, if you're a fan of Nashville music you'd probably guess that there's some music in here and you'd of course be right. What makes this soundtrack unique is that every song in the film was written and performed by our cast, which one never sees in a film nowadays. On top of them all being written and performed by the cast, the songs themselves are all amazing and the best of them all 'I'm Easy' won for Best Song and is now one of my new favorites.

The hardest part of this review is that many of the film's themes are best presented near the very end and since I do not like to spoil here, I unfortunately cannot discuss it in detail. I will say that its one of the strongest and most thought provoking endings I have seen in a film. It's so good, you can even have two thought processes about it, and would make for a great debate topic. 'Nashville' is perfect plain and simple. It's hard not to like it, especially if one loves everything film related. It's one any film aficionado should check out.

10/10