Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Loretta and Doo have a volatile relationship. Loretta meets and marries him at 13, and is horrified to have sex with Doo, who's several years older. Doo forces himself on her anyway (in a scene that's under the covers and not visible, but still disturbing). Later, they fight publicly with each other, hitting and slapping each other. There's plenty of alcohol use and abuse here as well. Loretta takes sleeping pills.
Families can talk about how different life was when Loretta was a teen than it is now. Why did she get married at 13? If you liked someone at 13 would you want to get married? Would you want to have a kid at 14? What do you think about Loretta and Doo's relationship? Is it healthy? What does a healthy relationship look like? What other movies show troubled relationships? How about healthy ones?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Heather Boerner
Music biopics are always compelling. Ray and Walk the Line both were nominated for and won Oscars. Kids today may not know much about Loretta Lynn, but they'll learn a lot -- and have fun -- watching COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, the biopic of her life that won Sissy Spacek an Academy Award.
Spacek stars as Loretta, the oldest daughter of eight born to a coal miner and his wife in Appalachia. Loretta is the apple of her father's eye, but when Loretta falls for military veteran Doolittle (a wonderful Tommy Lee Jones), who's at least 10 years her senior, Loretta's dad has to let her go. He only makes Doo promise to "don't never heart her and don't take her off far from home." In short order, Doo has done both.
Fourteen and pregnant, Loretta suddenly finds herself far from Kentucky, living with her children and Doo in Washington state. The only thing that comforts her is her singing. Doo, who's far from a two-dimensional monster in the film, wants to share her beautiful voice with the world.
At his insistence, Loretta sings at honkytonks, makes her own album, and travels around to DJs to promote the album. When it pays off and Loretta is being compared to icons like Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo, with a spot-on performance), can they keep their marriage together and can Doo cope with being less important than his superstar wife?
Given where Loretta comes from, it's amazing to see her rise to superstardom. It's also amazing to see the strength and confidence she shows to stand up in a honkytonk full of men and become their "girl singer." But Spacek's Loretta is complex: She's alternately meek and fiery with her husband. She's got an inner strength that's belied by her delicate voice and features. And director Michael Apted does a good job of including small moments that make Doo and Loretta's relationship real. And unlike more recent music biopics, Coal Miner's Daughter isn't soaked in cold-turkey rehab and horrible drug addiction. Like its star, the film is beautiful, quiet, charismatic, and gentle.
Besides Ray and Walk the Line, viewers may enjoy the Patsy Cline biopic Sweet Dreams, or the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire! with Winona Ryder playing Lewis' 13-year-old wife/cousin.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentA violent scene of Loretta's first time having sex (though all done under covers and not visible). Loretta is ashamed of sex and doesn't know what "horny" means. She and Doo climb in the back seat of a car, presumably to have sex. Loretta catches Doo kissing another woman in the back seat of a car. |
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ViolenceDoo rapes Loretta the first time they have sex. Everyone has guns in Butcher's Hollow. A man shoots the moonshiner. Loretta's father spanks her with a switch for going out with Doo all day. Doo slaps Loretta three different times, and threatens to hit her another time. Loretta hits Doo with her purse several times. Doo punches a guy and gets into a brawl at a bar. An overzealous fan rips hair from Loretta's head. |
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LanguageRepeated use of "damn," "s--t," "hell," "goddamn," and "bulls--t." |
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Social BehaviorLoretta gets married at 13 and has her first child at 14. Doo tries to control Loretta and is occasionally cruel to her. On the plus side, Loretta is a strong woman figure. She and Patsy Cline are great examples of women who are strong enough to be super-successful in a male-run industry. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoThere's lots of alcohol use here. In Kentucky, lots of people drink moonshine. Doo drinks after work, on the tour bus, and while caring for his kids. Patsy Cline drinks beer while in the hospital. A man adds whiskey to his soda. Loretta takes lots of sleeping pills, though it's unclear whether she's addicted to them. |
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