Nashville: Four young people pass an audition every week to perform in a bar and maybe make a carreer in music. James (Phoenix) is the most talented of them and he has a promising future in the industry. Despite his arrogance, he is a sensitive guy. Kyle (Mulroney) is a great songwriter even though he doesn’t let it hang out. Miranda « Presley » (Mathis) came from New York to try her luck and Linda (Bullock) still has much to learn. Things are getting more complicated between them when both James and Kyle fall in love with Miranda.
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| The Thing called Love poster |
In a few words, the Thing called Love is about love (of course, it’s in the title) and country music mixed with « hipness ». The music leads us quickly to what the State of Tennessee is known for. Nashville - Memphis - Graceland, Presley (the girl’s middle name) are few references that really make me wanna go there to visit someday.
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| River Phoenix |
Even though there is nothing new about the story, its charm lies on the main characters who are all likeable. Samantha Mathis delivers an excellent performance as the leading lady. Dermot Mulroney and Sandra Bullock were convincing in their respective roles, nice, ditzy and a bit clumsy sometimes (seeing Linda being stuck in the middle of her song reminds me of myself when I started to learn guitar).
And River runs through it
But the main reason I watched this was River Phoenix. Of course, I’ve seen him in different roles namely in Stand by me, Explorers, Indiana Jones, My own private Idaho so I know how good an actor he was. Being aware he was nominated for an Academy Award, I kept thinking he’s overrated just because he passed away at a young age. This made me reconsider. I still don’t know him that much but from what I have seen on screen, River and his character really fused into one making him a rare pearl. Plus he was a talented musician. I can imagine how far he could have gone, had he still lived.
Lone Star state of mine (lyrics)
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