Cast:
Michael Apted, Director
Tom Rickman, Writer
Owen Bradley, Music
Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn
Tommy Lee Jones as Doolittle Lynn
Beverly D'Angelo as Patsy Cline
Levon Helm as Ted Webb
William Sanderson as Lee Dollarhide
Phyllis Boyens as Clara Ramey Webb
Background:
Coal Miner's Daughter was released on March 7, 1980.
On a budget of $15 million, the film would gross roughly $67 million finishing at #7 for the worldwide box office of 1980.
The film was met with widespread acclaim especially for Spacek's portrayal of Lynn, and would go on to be nominated for 7 Oscars: Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, and Sound with Spacek winning Best Actress that year.
The soundtrack of the film featuring tracks of both Spacek and D'Angelo's performances from the film went on to be certified gold and would hit #2 on the Billboard top Country Albums in 1980.
The film was recognized in 2006 by American Film Institute on their 100 Years...100 Cheers – #70.
In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry.
Coal Miner's Daughter currently holds an 85% among critics on RT, an 84 score on Metacritic, and a 3.7/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: Coal Miner's Daughter is a biographical drama about the life of country music legend Loretta Lynn. Raised in poverty in the coal-mining town of Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, Loretta (Sissy Spacek) marries Doolittle "Doo" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) at just age 15. Encouraged by Doo, she begins singing and writing songs, eventually rising to fame in the male-dominated country music industry. As her career soars, she struggles with the pressures of stardom, family responsibilities, and personal hardships. Featuring standout performances and authentic musical moments, the film is a heartfelt tribute to Lynn’s resilience and talent.
Did You Know:
Sissy Spacek was reluctant to take on the lead role, instead favoring a project by Nicolas Roeg. She had insisted on doing her own singing for the film in hopes of scaring the producers off. The real Loretta Lynn prematurely announced that Spacek was going to play her on a talk show, so Spacek was torn between the decision to star in the film, or choose the other project. She was advised by her mother-in-law to pray for a sign on what to do that evening, which she did. Spacek later went for a drive with her husband in her mother's car, where the radio was tuned into a classical music station that changed formats every evening. As the car pulled out of the parking garage, "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn came on the radio. Spacek then accepted the role.
Loretta Lynn is said to have fainted when she saw Levon Helm in full makeup and wardrobe, because of his amazing resemblance to her real father.
The set used for Loretta Lynn's parents' house was reassembled in Hurricane Mills, which is Loretta Lynn's current house, and is on the Hurricane Mills ranch tour.
According to Loretta Lynn, her husband Doolittle wanted nothing to do with Tommy Lee Jones, who was playing him, until shortly before shooting began in Butcher Holler. Jones rented a Jeep, got drunk on moonshine, and went tearing through the town in the vehicle, only to get arrested for drunk driving, beaten up for resisting arrest, and jailed. Doolittle liked him immediately after that.
Best Performance: Tommy Lee Jones (Doolittle)
Best Secondary Performance: Sissy Spacek (Loretta)
Most Charismatic Award: Beverly D'Angelo (Patsy)/The Music
Best Scene:
Wedding Night
Daddy's Funeral
Traveling to Radio Stations
Meeting Patsy
Breakdown on Stage
Favorite Scene: Traveling to Radio Stations
Most Indelible Moment: Doo and Loretta Arguing/Breakdown on Stage
In Memorium:
Roberta Flack, 88, American singer ("Killing Me Softly with His Song", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Feel Like Makin' Love"), Grammy winner (1973, 1974)
Robert John, 79, American singer ("Sad Eyes", "If You Don't Want My Love").
Chris Jasper, 73, American Hall of Fame singer (The Isley Brothers, Isley-Jasper-Isley), songwriter ("Caravan of Love"), keyboardist and producer.
Lynne Marie Stewart, 78, American actress (Pee-wee's Playhouse, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, American Graffiti)
Jerry Butler, 85, American Hall of Fame soul singer-songwriter ("Only the Strong Survive", "He Will Break Your Heart"), musician (The Impressions) and politician
Peter Jason, 80, American actor (They Live, Deadwood, Mortal Kombat),
Olive Sturgess, 91, Canadian-born American actress (The Kettles in the Ozarks, The Raven, Requiem for a Gunfighter)
Al Trautwig, 68, American sports broadcaster (Cool Runnings, Olympic broadcaster, NHL studio host)
John Lawlor, 83, American actor (S.O.B., Phyllis, The Facts of Life, Wyatt Earp)
Michelle Trachtenberg, 39, American actress (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer; Harriet, the Spy; Gossip Girl; EuroTrip)
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Loretta Lynn: [in a radio interview] Shoot, we've been driving so much, I don't know where I am half the time. But it's fun. We sing, and talk, and Doo - that's my husband - he'll get to acting horny.
Speedy West: [shocked] What!
Loretta Lynn: And the more I laugh, the hornier he gets, and then he'll say, "Loretta, spread me up another one of them baloney sandwiches!"
Loretta Lynn: [to Doolittle] An' stoppa that growlin'. You sound like a big ol' bar.
Loretta Lynn: [Doolittle buys Loretta a guitar] Doolittle, I can't play that thing!
Doolittle Lynn: Well, most people can't till they learn how, dammit!
Patsy Cline: People want to know who you've been sleeping with that you've been on so many times.
Loretta Lynn: Who's been a sayin' that?
Patsy Cline: Gals that have been sleepin' with everybody and still ain't been on yet.
Doolittle Lynn: [after Loretta's first appearance on the Grand Old Opry] What we got to do next is; figure out what to do next.
Loretta Lynn: [singing] Well, I was born the coal miner's daughter, In a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler, We were poor but we had love, That's the one thing my daddy made sure of, He shoveled coal to make a poor man's dollar...
Lee Dollarhide: Doo, if you're born in the mountains, you got three choices, coal mine, moonshine or moving on down the line.
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 5.5
Impact/Significance: 8.5
Novelty: 5.5
Classic-ness: 6
Rewatchability: 3
Audience Score: 8.05 (75% Google, 86% RT)
Total: 36.55
Remaining Questions:
Why not cast someone other than 32 year-old Sissy Spacek to play a 14 year-old?
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