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Coal Miner's Daughter
1980 125 min United States of America PG 6+
★8.1
Music, Drama, History
Director: Michael Apted
Trailers
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Description
Biography of Loretta Lynn, a country and western singer that came from poverty to fame.
Budget:
$15M
US Gross:
$67.18M
Worldwide:
$67.18M
Starring
Sissy Spacek
Actor
Tommy Lee Jones
Actor
Levon Helm
Actor
Awards
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Actress
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Cinematography
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Production Design
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Sound
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Actress
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 1981
— Best Adapted Screenplay
BAFTA 1982
— Best Actress
Golden Globe 1981
— Best Supporting Actress
BAFTA 1982
— Best Sound
Key opinion
Coal Miner's Daughter is widely regarded as a definitive and authentic biographical drama that avoids common genre clichés. By centering on the grounded relationship between Loretta Lynn and her husband, the film delivers a nuanced, emotionally resonant portrait of life in rural America.
| Acting | Sissy Spacek delivers a masterfully nuanced performance, successfully embodying Loretta Lynn's evolution from a vulnerable teenager to a confident country music icon. | |
| Originality | The film succeeds as a realistic family portrait, avoiding the sensationalist 'rise-and-fall' tropes common in many musical biopics. | |
| Acting | Tommy Lee Jones provides a compelling, complex portrayal of a husband who is simultaneously supportive and distant. | |
| Direction | Michael Apted effectively balances sentimental family drama with authentic, grounded realism throughout the narrative. | |
| Screenplay | Critics are divided on the film's structural trajectory: some praise its straightforward, honest storytelling, while others note a shift toward melodrama in the final act. |