I rented this flick because I am nuts about Lauren Graham, who worked steadily for a decade, in TV and low-budget movies, before her breakthrough on "Gilmore Girls". It turns out, this is a darn funny movie, with a very engaging cast.
Billy Burke is perfect as an innocent Texas boy who dreams of Nashville while singing his songs to the kids on his school bus. He gets a break after a local talent show, and the movie is a documentary-style chronicle of his rise and fall. Along the way, he crosses paths with Kathy Griffin as his randy girlfriend, David Koechner as the leader of his backup band, Jason Priestley as a country megastar, Henry Winkler as a promoter, and several bonafide country music stars as themselves. Refreshingly, the characters are not portrayed as clueless hicks, but ordinary folks just trying to find some happiness, and maybe a hit record or two.
Lauren Graham is gorgeous as Dill's love interest/"muse", and completely different from her Lorelai Gilmore character. She nails a Southern accent (but not Deep South), and is unrelentingly sweet to everyone, even when she is not happy with them.
This is a fun, low-key movie with affection for its characters and some good scenes sending up stardom and fame in our celebrity-crazed culture. I believe it is available for rental only through Hollywood Video. Give it a try, it is funnier than 75% of the big time comedies out there.
"Stop the Madness of Gingivitis"
