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The anatomy of a relationship is under the microscope as Dean (Ryan Gosling), a rough around the edges but tender family man, courts the love of his life, Cindy (Michelle Williams). But all is not well in the house once the two actually become an item, different aspirations, different goals, and life happens. Will the two have what it takes to make their relationship survive the long haul, or will life get the best and worst of them instead? This bitter reality pill of a screenplay makes for a gritty film that won’t leave you feeling warm and fuzzy in the slightest; coupled with the down to earth performances of Gosling and Williams and you’ve got a heavyweight film that will sit with you and make you think long and hard about the relationships you’ve been in yourself. Additionally, sharp humor juxtaposed daggers of frustration makes for an even more genuine feel. If you’re up for a weighty dramatic performance, this is your ticket. Blue Valentine is rated R.

Country music star Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow) is one of the nation’s darlings; but, a sordid past and time spent in rehab has left her in rough shape. Now in an effort to rekindle her career who she can lean for support becomes an issue. Her husband/manager James (Tim McGraw) seems preoccupied with finding the next country starlette, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester), and her secret boyfriend Beau (Garrett Hedlund) can’t stand to watch her continue to suffocate. As Kelly, Chiles, and Beau head out on the tour circuit together, life goals are compared, but who will be strong enough to reach those goals, and who will bow out? I’m afraid you get a mix of good, bad, and cliche in this one. Acting wise everyone in the ensemble does a decent job; unfortunately, the overall story is just too trite and then does the disservice of running about 30 minutes too long. Blatant attempts to pull our heart strings throughout the film are almost eye rolling at times, and then there are the continuity issues that kept pulling me out of the film forcing me to ask “wait, did I just see that?” On the truly positive side of things, the soundtrack to this film should actually be pretty good. The songs written for each of the characters perfectly captures the heart, soul, and feel of each of the unique sub-genres of country music, moreover, the songs are solid and should be totally accessible to radio airplay. So, even though the film itself is kind of meh, at least the music is inspiring and worth a listen. Country Strong is rated PG-13.