If you like country music you'll love this film. Even if you just like music and that genre of film you'll still enjoy it. It's a treat for any music fan. You also get the main actors and actresses actually singing the songs they perform and doing this really well. Credits show that about 50 songs were used in the film soundtrack, which must be a record.

Director Peter Bogdanovich apparently wanted River Phoenix for the male lead but thought him too big a star to bother with the film. Luckily Phoenix wanted to do it so his agent approached Bogdanovich which, the latter says, was unheard of. A stroke of luck indeed as his performance is easily the best in the film, which I understand was the last he completed before his untimely death.

In a mesmerising performance Phoenix echoes the brooding 1950s star James Dean, another unfortunate young casualty. Though more famous at this time than all his co-stars including Sandra Bullock, Dermot Mulroney and Samantha Mathis, he lets… more »

If you like country music you'll love this film. Even if you just like music and that genre of film you'll still enjoy it. It's a treat for any music fan. You also get the main actors and actresses actually singing the songs they perform and doing this really well. Credits show that about 50 songs were used in the film soundtrack, which must be a record.

Director Peter Bogdanovich apparently wanted River Phoenix for the male lead but thought him too big a star to bother with the film. Luckily Phoenix wanted to do it so his agent approached Bogdanovich which, the latter says, was unheard of. A stroke of luck indeed as his performance is easily the best in the film, which I understand was the last he completed before his untimely death.

In a mesmerising performance Phoenix echoes the brooding 1950s star James Dean, another unfortunate young casualty. Though more famous at this time than all his co-stars including Sandra Bullock, Dermot Mulroney and Samantha Mathis, he lets the latter star in some takes by remaining partially turned away from the camera. He may of course have done so because he was romantically involved with her but I like to think it was because he was just basically an unselfish and thoroughly nice chap. Amongst others appearing in the film there are also a smattering of actual country singers such as Trisha Yearwood.

The Director says that Phoenix regretted the cutting of many scenes from the film for its original release but they're all restored in his Director's cut, as the Phoenix would have wanted it. There are some remarkably long takes, which are always more difficult to shoot, adding something to the overall quality and style of the film. There are also some clever cuts such as a train passing a house on camera as the couple walk in, which is still passing by the window once they're inside even though this is a studio set. Watch also for lines and titles from country songs appearing on signs, a gag of the writer that Bogdanovich liked apparently.

The Director's commentary sums it up "This is a film about music and young people". My only criticism of it is that the poor 5.1 sound mix with little rear action, other than when the train passes, some crickets, thunder and for one song of many, was something of a lost opportunity on a music-based film like this.