Nashville (1975)

Critically acclaimed and often included on "best films" lists, Robert Altman's biting satire is both brilliantly subtle and epic in scale. But for all its brilliance, Nashville is a bit of a difficult undertaking. Altman takes a neutral, almost documentary-like style behind the camera as he gives his actors free reign to improvise as much or as little as they want and leaves the characters out to dry on their own. Often, lightning's captured in a bottle, like when Tom sings "I'm Easy," or when Sueleen (Gwen Welles) does the striptease. But the majority of what's captured (whether funny, bizarre, heartbreaking, puzzling, horrifying, or anything in between) needs very active viewing and close attention to pick up on. And viewers need to keep that up for 2 hours and 40 minutes.

The music may also be difficult for viewers accustomed to emphasis on rhythm and simple ABAB rhyme schemes. At the time the movie was made many genres, not just country, emphasized what the songwriter had to say over rhythm and rhyme, with the result that a lot of melodies and lyrics veer off in unexpected directions. Patient viewers who enjoy leaning in and paying attention will be richly rewarded by amazing performances and a lot of food for thought, but it's unlikely many teens, or even young adults, are ready to get everything out of Nashville that Altman had to offer.