There's a scene in The Big Lebowski where The Dude turns to Walter and screams at him, "Everything's a travesty with you, man!" Except he curses. This was much the way I felt while watching Country Strong. All of the characters are horrifically damaged people, all of the situations are drenched in melancholy, and it was generally impossible to determine anyone's motivations or what would happen next. At the very least, this made it an entertaining viewing experience, if only because you never see a movie constructed in this manner. Was it a good movie? Technically, probably not, because very little made sense. But if you like a spectacle, whoo boy, you have found your perfect match.

Gwyneth Paltrow, as Kelly Canter, portrays a character we've often seen the menfolk take on. She's a complete train wreck, hopelessly addicted to booze, mananizing (which I imagine is the opposite of womanizing), and generally making poor, self-destructive choices. She's also a country star in the vein of Shania Twain, besieged by the press. Her husband, played by Tim McGraw, pulls Paltrow out of rehab a month early so she can begin her "comeback" tour. This is one of the numerous plot points that comes out of nowhere, doesn't logically add up, and is never adequately explained. She's got to sing because he wants her to sing, and that's as far as you're going to get with that line of questioning. While in rehab she met a young man named Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund) who also happens to be a singer/songwriter in the country scene. He plays at a local bar, and Paltrow begs her husband to let him come on tour with her, as an opening act. He acquiesces, but with a catch: they've also got to bring Leighton Meester out on the road. She's a former Ms. Dallas, representing all that is currently mainstream country pop. If you've already guessed that she, too, has aspirations of being a country star then you're starting to grasp the frenetic pace of this film.

This leads us to the film's quadrilateral structure. Paltrow, McGraw, Meester, and Hedlund form a love / hate / booze addled / stargazing sort of relationship. Between all of them. The amazing thing about the whole setup is you can't really tell who to cheer for, or who to root against. This isn't that sort of movie. If anything, it's a film based entirely in real life. Everyone is flawed, everyone is well-intentioned, everyone takes advantage where they can. Each person is a hero and a villain, Country Strong regularly delivering interesting though massively flawed scenes. Paltrow gives an energetic performance, full of rage and lunacy; at one point she rambles (during a concert) something to the effect of, "I've never lived on a star, but it sure looks like fun." You realize that Paltrow's character is a disaster, but not exactly a bad person, and with her next act she goes off and does something completely repugnant. She's unlovable, but she's trying to be unlovable. It's a confounding experience. Even more silly is that the entire exercise is a tale of woe disguised as a tale of "whoa!". This isn't the story of the poster or trailer, it's not country stars living the tour life, it's everyone scrambling to pick up the pieces of the dying supernova that is Paltrow's character and career. Ironically enough, she's not country strong. She's more substance-abuse weak. Furthermore, by infusing everyone involved with legitimate musical talent, the script has also made it all the more tragic that no one really has their act together. Country stars represent a throwback style of earnest Americana that's on the ropes, and this might knock them completely out of the ring.

Country charm pervades the film, phrases like "Big ol'" and "That's what I tol' 'em" and "wee high" are sprinkled liberally throughout. The crowd is overly lit in most of the singing scenes, which are plentiful and authentic. Very short dresses are used in the service of making Meester and Paltrow sexy. Tim McGraw is at once a protective husband, a man who wants to move on, and a manager who demands excellence from his singer/wife. None of these facts are cohesive, and none of them really add up to anything. Great songs, solid acting, and an innovative storytelling method can't salvage the eye-rolling plot points or the overall sense of pointlessness and dread.

That said, we constantly ask our storytellers to make choices because a boring, vanilla tale is painful to behold. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, there's trouble for them near the end, but it all works out. That's not so much a choice as it is story by default. Country Strong doesn't go that route for a second of its running time. Each and every scene presents a new revelation. Meester might be attracted to McGraw. Hedlund doesn't even want to be a star. Paltrow is alternatively tender and vicious, ravenous and scared. On and on it goes, facts and emotions piled on until finally you're rendered numb. Again, I'm not sure any of it made much sense but it was, at times, a site to behold.

Grade: B-