MovieChat Forums > Country Strong (2011) Discussion > Was Kelly's husband that bad????

Was Kelly's husband that bad????

posted 12 years ago by prbronx5
9 replies | jump to latest

I saw the movie a few times and was kinda surprised at how much hate the Tim McGraw character has received on this site. Were we supposed to hate him? Was he the bad guy in the movie? I just didn't see it. Yeah he got her out of rehab a little too soon, but other than that I thought he was a man very much in love and supportive of his wife. It was sad when he danced with her at the kid's hospital and the scene in the ladies room when he coaxed her out of the stall with the little bird. He was desperately trying to save his wife's reputation and career and she fought him all the way. If he was supposed to be the bad guy, the film makers failed to make him appear as that in my opinion.

Also when the movie begins it's well into Kelly having lots of issues already, so I gathered that her husband was already at a point where he was losing his sanity worrying and covering for her.

I found myself feeling bad for him as the movie went on. Kelly was an alcoholic, unfaithful mess. She was messing around with Beau practically in front of her husband. I didn't sympathize with her at all. Then to make matters worse she committs the ultimate selfish move and kills herself. It was sad that she offed herself, but it was actually good for Beau and Chiles to be able to move on with their romance and dreams.

[–] monstermayhem32 12 years ago

I think Kelly was damaged goods since it was almost as though she paralle what just recently happened to Whitney Houston with the drugs and booze. She did have the talent but I don't think that she was able to able to cope with the fame. She was drunk most of the time and barely lucid. I think that James tried to have his marriage but I guess he realized that he couldn't any longer.

[–] anolinde 12 years ago

Late reply, but yes. While I don't doubt that he loved her, he loved her career just as much - if not more. He took her out of rehab, when it clearly wasn't in her best interests, because he wanted to revitalize her career, and he continued to push her to do more shows when it was obvious that the stress was too much for her. I think Kelly realized in the end that he was never going to agree to retire and live a quiet life together somewhere, because he would always be pushing for more singles, more shows, etc., consistently prioritizing fame over her well-being.

While Kelly is openly unfaithful, there are multiple hints that he wasn't faithful either. (I could be reading this wrong, but it didn't seem to bother him too much that Kelly was in a relationship with Beau - only when Beau overstepped his bounds and tried to advocate for Kelly's health, thereby threatening the husband's place as her caretaker/manager.)

Finally: I don't consider Kelly undeserving of sympathy because she's an alcoholic who eventually committed suicide. Obviously she had her issues; most people don't become alcoholics for the heck of it. I don't think she was being selfish by killing herself, either. Selfish, in my opinion, is her husband forcing her through her paces when she wasn't ready. Kelly knew that she couldn't keep doing shows, and she was too famous to disappear like Beau and Chiles, so she put an end to it on her terms.

[–] cat_fitz 10 years ago

While Kelly is openly unfaithful, there are multiple hints that he wasn't faithful either.

I couldn't decide if that indeed was being implied or if it was just Kelly being irrational, jealous and projecting her own unfaithful tendencies onto him.

I don't consider Kelly undeserving of sympathy because she's an alcoholic who eventually committed suicide.

I don't consider those the reasons she was undeserving of sympathy but I didn't sympathize with her til the end. She was selfish, repeatedly unfaithful, and flaunted it, and expected people to do for her, baby her, while refusing to participate in her own recovery. She seemed like a nightmare at times and a full time job. While I fault James for his selfish priorities, I could understand why he looked exhausted.

[–] Dash99 9 years ago

Interesting cause I saw it different when people say he chose her career over her. I saw it as he was pushing her comeback because he felt like it would save her to have responsibility but she was far too gone already.

[–] Ashleydjackson24 9 years ago

I think you are seeing far too much light in Kelly. She sucked.

He was pushing her because he thought that's what she needed to get better. I really don't think he was doing it and thinking it was going to be bad for her.

I also do not believe he was cheating or it really made people think he was. That was her because she was cheating. That's exactly how cheaters act in real life.

[–] first-things-first 9 years ago

I wondered about James too, but after reading your post, feel as you do about the tour helping her. And he was in need of help himself. So maybe he thought what was good for him would work for her.

A Black Astronaut Cyril!!! That's like killing a Unicorn...Archer

[–] Augustus_Octavian 11 years ago

He valued her career over her. That is generally not considered a trait of a good husband.

[–] cat_fitz 10 years ago

I didn't hate him, I found the situation tragic. I disagree that he was a man "very much in love and supportive of his wife." I think they once had a great love affair but he'd long since fallen out of love with her. He repeatedly said he'd LOVED her, past tense. He also prized her career over her well-being. I don't think he was intentionally trying to hurt her, he'd just fallen out of love with her and was holding on to what he had left.

I also think it's somewhat understandable that he fell out of love with her, though still quite tragic that he gave up. I got the impression she'd put him through hell, from dealing with her raging alcoholism to killing their child. He'd simply lost sympathy for her. He couldn't even bring himself to touch her.

I guess some people can reach a point where they either need to go to therapy and work through the pain and animosity or walk away. He didn't seem interested in doing either so they both stayed in pain.

[–] stacy0912 9 years ago

I didn't see him as 'bad'. I actually really liked James. I think he hated her as much as he loved her. He's holding on to who she once was in the face of her killing their child, killing her career, and killing their marriage with her drinking and affairs.

He's a man holding onto what's left of who they used to be, and holding onto who she used to be for her since she no longer can. I think he's incredibly strong for hanging in there given all that she's done to them.

I didn't think I would like this movie, and after five minutes in I was hooked. I was so entranced I think I stood in front of the TV for most of the film, and probably crying for half of it. All four leads were superb in this movie.

~Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable~