Coal Miner's Daughter is an exemplary biography, with good performances, casting, and direction. The first two thirds of the film chronicles the rise of Loretta Lynn (Sissy Spacek) from an impoverished daughter of a coal miner to one of the nation's most successful country singers. The final third proves the cliche that it's lonely at the top, as Lynn must learn to deal with the pressures of being a superstar.
Lynn is among the several children of careworn Clara (Phyllis Boyens) and gruff miner Ted Webb (Levon Helm, the gifted drummer and singer of 'The Band'). Lynn marries while still in her early teens. Her husband is headstrong, reckless Doolittle Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones). Doolittle is unreflective, demanding, and a philanderer, but somehow their marriage stays intact.
After hearing his wife sing to their children, Doolittle decides to promote her career as a country singer. Eventually, she cuts a record, which the two tirelessly promote by driving from one radio station to the next. The record becomes a hit, earning Lynn a spot on the country showcase 'The Grand Ole Opry'. Doolittle and Lynn take turns adjusting to the difficult transitions caused by her sudden rise to fame.
Lynn becomes close friends with Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo), the country legend whose career (much like Otis Redding, Ritchie Valens and Jim Croce) was tragically cut short while at its peak due to a plane crash. Cline is portrayed as being about the nicest person who has ever lived.
The singing of Sissy Spacek and Beverly D'Angelo isn't dubbed. Spacek does a surprisingly good imitation of Loretta Lynn. But while Cline was a better singer than Lynn, Spacek is a better singer than D'Angelo. D'Angelo's imitation of Cline isn't memorable, but it is also less significant to the film. Cline only shows up in the story for about ten minutes.
Lynn had six children with Doolittle. They were wed from 1948 to 1996, with the marriage ended by Doolittle's death.
Spacek is credible in the key early scenes when her character is in her early teens. Spacek was nearly thirty when the film was made, but it is difficult to tell her age from her freckled, fragile-looking face.
Like many biographies, Coal Miner's Daughter tries to cover too much ground in its two hour running time. Years can fly by between scenes, making it sometimes difficult to know about what year or age a scene is supposed to take place in. Lynn's children appear as suddenly as bills in the mailbox.
The first two thirds of the film is better than the last third. Once Lynn has established herself as a star, the film's tempo speeds up, and some of the continuity between scenes is lost. Problems with Doolittle's temper, infidelity and subjugation are resolved too easily, as is also the case for Lynn's pill dependencies.
Sissy Spacek won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. Coal Miner's Daughter was also nominated for six other Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Ralf D. Bode), Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Adapted Screenplay (Tom Rickman, from Lynn's best-selling autobiography). Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor. (66/100)
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