Country music is an important part of American musical history and was influential in the foundation of rock and roll. With its themes of heartbreak, love, and the struggles of poverty, country music is founded on the interesting stories that are woven into each song's lyrics.
The country genre of music has been the subject of many classic films from biopics such as Walk the Line to fictional stories like Crazy Heart. Though the subject of country music has produced many hit films, only the best have earned the highest scores on IMDb.
Honkytonk Man (1982) - 6.6
Many of the best stories within the country music community come from artists who used music as a way to escape their difficult life conditions. Honkytonk Man is set during the Great Depression and tells the story of a young boy from Oklahoma who travels with his estranged uncle to Nashville to audition for the Grand Ole Opry.
Starring Clint Eastwood and his son Kyle, the film is a humorous and heartwarming road movie with a country twist. Steeped in country music history, the film is a fictionalization of many of the greatest country artist's life story. Like the best country music, the film is ultimately hopeful and shows that music is the perfect escape from a difficult life situation.
Pure Country (1992) - 7.1
Many of country music's biggest stars have tried their hand at acting and in Pure Country, singer George Strait landed a starring role. The film follows a country singer who has grown tired of the flashy and obnoxious stage shows that accompany his act. Deciding to walk away from his music for a while, the singer returns to his roots in search of a life more like the lyrics in his songs.
Providing one of the best performances by a musician in a film, George Strait shines in his debut role. The film is a peaceful exploration of a singer's conscience and has a believable romance storyline as well. What brings the film together in the end though, is the excellent soundtrack of new songs provided for the film by Strait himself.
Songcatcher (2000)
Though country music is an evolving genre, its true heart lies in its history and its connection with the rural communities of Appalachia. Songcatcher is set in the early 1900s and follows a brilliant musicologist who travels to rural Appalachia to visit her family. While there, she discovers a wealth of music within the people who live in the hills, and the further she gets invested the more she begins to question her own motives.
Though much of the music would be unrecognizable to modern country fans, the seed of the genre can be found within the story of the film. Though there are interpersonal plots within the story, the most important aspect is the main character's own exploration of her motives. Though she is fascinated by the music, she can't help but feel that she is further exploiting the impoverished people of the community for her own gain.
Crazy Heart (2009) - 7.2
In one of his best roles, actor Jeff Bridges transforms into a faded country musician in Crazy Heart. Though he is a legend within the community, Bad Blake finds himself performing at dive bars and not enjoying his fading life. However, the arrival of a new love leads him to reexamine his hard life and the choices that led him to where he is.
The brilliance of Crazy Heart is that the story is universal and the addition of country music only adds seasoning. Everyone will eventually grapple with their own waning usefulness, but the film offers a hopeful slant through Blake's new relationship. Though it may seem dour on the surface, Crazy Heart is ultimately a hopeful story of change and new potential.
Tender Mercies (1983) - 7.4
Many of the best country music movies feel like they were ripped from the lyrics of a country song and Tender Mercies was no exception. The film follows a washed up former country singer who forms a bond with a young widow and her child. This new friendship inspires him to pursue his career in music once again, and reform his relationship with his estranged daughter.
Tender Mercies is more about Mac Sledge's personal journey than it is about music, but the addition of country is a welcomed accoutrement. The performance from screen legend Robert Duval adds to the weight of the excellent script, and it slowly becomes a riveting underdog tale.
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - 7.5
Though fictional stories about country music can be riveting, it is in the truth that the best stories are often found. Coal Miner's Daughter is a biopic that tells the life story of country music icon Loretta Lynn from her humble beginnings to her rise as a star in the music scene.
Sissy Spacek shines in one of her best roles as Loretta Lynn and the serves as the anchor of the riveting music bio-pic. What makes the film great is the way that the story is structured, and the dramatization of Lynn's life is given the appropriate amount of Hollywood zeal to make it more interesting. Along with a strong supporting cast and an excellent soundtrack, Coal Miner's Daughter is a prime example of a great country music film.
Nashville (1975) - 7.7
Legendary director Robert Altman once again delivered a classic when he attempted to tackle the complicated music scene in Tennessee's capitol city. Nashville is a series of interweaving stories all set within the complicated country music scene in the titular city.
With a massive run time of nearly three hours, Nashville allows the viewer to fully invest themselves in the characters presented. Though the central focus isn't the music, the film is inseparable from its country roots and it peppers the score brilliantly.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - 7.7
Though the genres have diverged somewhat over time, country music and bluegrass have very similar origins and they play a big part in O Brother, Where Art Thou?. After escaping from a chain gang, three men go on a strange adventure to return home and recover their stolen loot that was buried following a previous bank robbery.
Loosely based on Homer's classic The Odyssey, the heroes' journey is very much a representation of the archetypes of storytelling. Generally regarded as one of the Coen Brother's best films, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is inextricably linked to its wonderful country music score. Several songs from the soundtrack have grown beyond the film and are instantly recognizable, such as "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow".
Walk The Line (2005) - 7.8
Few icons of country music have grown beyond the genre quite like "The Man In Black", Johnny Cash. Walk The Line tells the life story of the music icon, from his early days as a farmer in Arkansas, to his meteoric rise in music at Sun Studios in Memphis.
Joaquin Phoenix is electric as Cash and his performance brought an element of humanity to the larger-than-life figure. What makes the film soar is the scope that they decided to cover with the story. Instead of telling Cash's entire life story from start to finish, the film narrows its focus and it is all the more better for it. Also, Reese Witherspoon's supporting role as June Carter adds another layer to the singer's complicated biography.
Heartworn Highways (1976) - 7.9
Though country music has produced chart busting superstars, it also has a thriving independent scene of brilliant musicians as well. Heartworn Highways is a documentary which attempts to capture the life of many of the "Outlaw Country" scene's greatest artists of the 1970s.
With a remarkable blend of musical performances and fly-on-the-wall documentary style, Heartworn Highways is a fascinating portrait of the underside of the country industry. Though generally regarded as some of the best artists in country history, the outlaw scene was controversial in their heyday. The film is one of the greatest music documentaries of all time, and captures a single moment in history better than most other documentaries have.