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Henry Gibson, Barbara Baxley, Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakely ... see more see more... , Lily Tomlin , Keith Carradine , Geraldine Chaplin , Robert DoQui , Shelley Duvall , Allen Garfield , David Arkin , Scott Glenn , Jeff Goldblum , Barbara Harris , David Hayward , Michael Murphy , Cristina Raines , Bert Remsen , Timothy Brown , Gwen Welles , Keenan Wynn , Richard Baskin , James Dan Calvert , Donna Denton , Merle Kilgore , Carol McGinnis , Sheila Bailey , Patti Bryant , Jonnie Barnett , Vassar Clements , Sue Barton , Misty Mountain Boys , Susan Anspach , Julie Christie , Elliott Gould , Lauren Hutton , Allan F. Nicholls , Howard K. Smith , Dave Peel , Ronee Blakley

Following 24 characters through 5 days in the country music capital, Robert Altman's 1975 epic presents a complexly textured portrayal (and critique) of American obsessions with celebrity and power. A... read more read more...mong the various stars, aspirants, hangers-on, observers, and media folk are politically ambitious country icon Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson) and his fragile star protegée Barbara Jean (Ronee Blakley); Tom (Keith Carradine), a self-absorbed rock star who woos lonely married gospel singer Linnea Reese (Lily Tomlin); Sueleen Gay (Gwen Welles), a talentless waitress painfully humiliated at her first singing gig; Albuquerque (Barbara Harris), a runaway wife with dreams of stardom; nightclub owner Lady Pearl (Barbara Baxley), who reminisces about "those Kennedy boys"; single-minded groupie L.A. Joan (Shelley Duvall); vapid BBC commentator Opal (Geraldine Chaplin); and campaign guru John Triplette (Michael Murphy), who is trying to organize a concert rally for the unseen but always heard populist presidential candidate-cum-demagogue Hal Phillip Walker. Everything comes to a head during a climactic concert at Nashville's replica of the Parthenon temple, as the entertainment-hungry audience is momentarily woken out of its stupor by unexpected violence, only to be lulled into a restorative sing-along to "It Don't Worry Me." ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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84% liked it

8,787 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

40 critics

R, 2 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Robert Altman

Release Date: June 11, 1975

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DVD Release Date: August 15, 2000

Stats: 769 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (769)

  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    A hilarious satire of country music, Altman's Nashville is one the best ensemble pieces ever created.
  • cosmo313
    October 16, 2011
    cosmo313
    Okay so I just finished this a bit ago, and it hasn't all quite sunk in yet, so my review might not be the best. Perhaps I should let it sink in for a while first and maybe even give it a rewatch, but I don't really have time to do that so take my review with a grain of salt.

    Fi... read morerst off, this film is somewhat overlong and a tad too meandering at times, and maybe just a bit pretentious, However, it carries a lot of influence (particular on the works of P.T. Anderson) and it is a rather incredible experience. This is an ambitious, sweeping epic look at America and the state of American life and culture on the cusp of the bicentennial filtered through the lens of around 24 characters who, despite having their own specific storylines, all interweave to form a narrative surrounding the effort to put on a concert rally for the state's presidential primary for a populist fringe candidate running on the Replacement party ticket. The film has an overall running time of 2 Hours, 40 minutes, with an hour of that time devoted to musical numbers (all songs written by the cast and some of the crew).

    This is a broad mosaic of a film, but despite some of the heavy subject matter it is played out in Altman's loose, heavily improvised and mutilayered style. It's one of those movies where you can probably pick up more and more with each viewing, but is also a great sort of hang out film where, kinda like a crowded party, you can just sort of filter in and out of various conversations or moments and still pick up the gist. The film is rather successful at this for the msot part, though it took me a bit to really get inot it. Once I did though, things got really cooking, and I found this to be quite a film that says a lot without really saying or doing too much when you get right down to it.

    I'm not going to list all of the 24/5 main actors, but I will say that most do a really good job. I wish they al lwere uniformly great, but hey there's so much going on here that the goods outweigh the bads. I think Lily Tomlin probably stuck out as the best for me though. I used to not pay her much mind, but she's really quite a wonderful actress. I knew she was good, but now I realize she's great.

    You don't have to enjoy country, folk, or gospel to like this movie, but it obviously helps if you at least appreciate it. LIke I said, the film is overlong and rambling, but I was engaged for most of it. I think it works better as an experience more tha na proper film, but there's nothing wrong with that. This is a wonderful document that really captures the zeitgeist of the times, and is easily one of the best film of the 70s, which is really saying something given that the 70s was the best decade for cinema. I'm still not quite sure what to make of this movie, but as for right now, I'm quite impressed.

    You should really give this one a look. It's a really well done and significant work of art.
  • rubystevens
    February 6, 2011
    rubystevens
    hilarious and heartbreaking and couldn't be closer to the bone. a masterpiece
  • stevenecarrier
    July 20, 2010
    stevenecarrier
    Robert Altman's "Nashville" is the grandfather of the American mosaic (it's extended family includes "Short Cuts", "Magnolia", "Crash"). This 1975 classic is intensely American; showing the country in both good and bad ways. "Nashville" is a film that defies categorization. The s... read moreongs the characters sing tell the story, yet it's not a musical. There are things to laugh at in the film but it's not a comedy. The depression and hopelessness most of these characters feel is never fully elaborated on so it's not totally a drama. There is social commentary on the entertainment industry and fame, politics, a woman's role in 70's America (more specifically Tennessee) but it never dips into full satire. There isn't even real plot points (expect for the films climax which is delivered with equal amounts of cheer and chilling hopelessness). There aren't even any main characters, though we do follow the lives of 24 different people. Even more so, all these people tend to talk over each other while Altman layers the dialogue with other voices, songs and presidential campaign propaganda. Without saying, the 2 and a half hour "Nashville" is a dizzying experience. But what makes it's so utterly fascinating (once you as the viewer gain your footing an hour or so in) is that Altman has such control over the world he has created. He knows every single aspect of these people and each one is important in one small way that isn't clear until it's final moments. And, it's so wonderful because none of these people are aware of the effect they are having on the world around them. Sure, we see how their actions effect things, but that's because we are visitors to Altman's world. We see what he wants us to see and in those small moments of despair or lust or joy or embarrassment these people feel, we are connected to them. The characters in "Nashville" are us, always searching and never realizing their true potential or simply passing it by once it arrives, their effect on the world, or how obvious the facades we display are. "Nashville" is about the shows we put on for the world, and how really, no one watches or cares. "Nashville" is an extremely complex but ultimately extremely rewarding experience, culminating in one of the finest films of the 1970s.
  • FireStormStudios
    April 6, 2010
    FireStormStudios
    Although I didn't really figure out what this film was trying to say, I still really felt myself liking almost every aspect of this film. I loved the timeframe it took place in, the locations and especially the vast array of characters. There is not too much to say about this f... read moreilm, other than it is a good mindless dramady that I think it worth a watch. It is definitely a classic and gave a lot of budding actors their starts in the industry.
  • sanjurosamurai
    August 31, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    while containing great production quality and an excellent cast, i found this to be a highly overrated film. it was entertaining, but at over 2 1/2 hours the film suffered from far too much aimless wandering. the entire film was characterized by randomness from the underdevelop... read moreed characters to the random connections of those characters that dont further the story. the film floats along with a total lack of focus outside of the ambiguous commentary on nashville and politics. a unique film but not as good as the hype.
  • jjnxn
    August 16, 2009
    jjnxn
    Interminable!!
  • jennifxu
    December 25, 2007
    jennifxu
    Altman is the only one that makes me understand the true meaning of the word auteur. This movie confused the crap out of me yet still I really liked it. How. Awesome.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    April 2, 2007
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Tied with Short Cuts and M*A*S*H as Altman's best work.
  • fb653545547
    November 6, 2011
    fb653545547
    The trailer to Nashville makes a point to mention the 24 "unforgettable" characters in the film and their stories which will captivate the audience. It's great marketing, to be honest, considering close to half of the characters show up for three seconds (out of 160 minutes) and... read more don't do anything of any interest. The other half hold up the story-a story about country music singers, politics, marriages, understanding. With all those characters and a nearly obscene running time, it's not a wonder most of the stories feel half baked. Just as the audience begins to get invested in the action on the screen, the momentum is stopped to focus on something else. And by the time the original story comes back, the tension has subsided. Add to that a very flimsy overarching storyline about a third party presidential candidate and it's hard to imagine why so many people hold this film in such high regard. Which would then question the three stars I'm giving it. Why? For director Altman, who wrangles the cast and manages to make the film comprehensible. For the music. And for the sheer audaciousness of the entire enterprise.

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Critic Reviews

Don Druker
June 27, 2007
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

A rare and puzzling movie: beautiful and cruel, passionate but strangely shallow. Full Review

Variety Staff
June 27, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Nashville is one of Altman's best films, free of the rambling insider fooling around that sometimes mars entire chunks of every second or third picture. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

It's a film that a lot of other directors will wish they'd had the brilliance to make. Full Review

James Berardinelli
October 31, 2002
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The acting is entirely unaffected. Every performance rings true, whether from an experienced actor or a neophyte. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

More than anything else, it is a tender poem to the wounded and the sad. Full Review

Cole Smithey
March 3, 2012
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

[VIDEO ESSAY] In 1975 Robert Altman painted filmic satire on a grand scale with "Nashville." Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
February 21, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

In its ambitions to say something big and different about the American political scene rises to the occasion to be a fascinating technical achievement ... . Full Review

Ken Hanke
May 9, 2007
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

One of the most challenging American films ever made. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
September 16, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

One of the 1970s most complexly constructed films, Nashville tackles the music industry and American politics in satirical, innovative ways by the use of large ensemble, overlapping dialogue, imporov ... Full Review

Geoff Andrew
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

A masterpiece. Full Review

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    • Haven Hamilton: Y'all take it easy now. This isn't Dallas, it's Nashville! They can't do this to us here in Nashville! Let's show them what we're made of. Come on everybody, sing! Somebody, sing!
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  • Keith Carradine won an Oscar for his role in Nashville ?  Answer »
  • I'm Easy won the Oscar for Best Song. Which film was this one in?  Answer »
  • Which regular from TV's "Laugh In" played a country singer in Robert Altman's 1975 film "Nashville"?  Answer »
  • What is the real-life band that played as Elvis back up band in the movie 'Walk The Line'? They had several cameos in the movie and play in Nashville regular.  Answer »
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