Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

100% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(34,982 ratings)

Loretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre; with her strong, clear, hard-country voice and tough, no-nonsense songs about husbands who cheat and wives who weren't about to be pushed around, Lynn introduced a feminist mindset… More Loretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre; with her strong, clear, hard-country voice and tough, no-nonsense songs about husbands who cheat and wives who weren't about to be pushed around, Lynn introduced a feminist mindset to Nashville years before the phrase "women's liberation" became common currency. Coal Miner's Daughter is a screen adaptation of Lynn's autobiography, starring Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn. One of eight children born to Ted Webb (Levon Helm), a coal miner raising a family despite grinding poverty in Butcher's Holler, KY, Loretta married Dolittle "Mooney" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) when she was only 13 years old. A mother of four by the time she was 20, Lynn began singing the occasional song at local honky-tonks on weekends, and at 25, she cut (at Mooney's suggestion) a demo tape that earned her a deal with an independent record label. Loretta and Mooney's tireless promotion of the record (including a long road trip through the south in which they stopped at every country radio station they could find) paid off -- Loretta's first single, "Honky Tonk Girl," hit the charts and earned her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Stardom called and Loretta never looked back, but success brought with it both joy (a long string of hit records and sold-out concerts and a close friendship with Patsy Cline) and sorrow (a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork and a great deal of stress to a marriage that endured -- but just barely). Sissy Spacek won an Academy award for her vivid, thoroughly natural performance as Loretta (she also did her own singing), and Levon Helm (drummer for the legendary rock group the Band) made an impressive screen debut as her father. Ernest Tubb makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Michael Apted
Written By: Thomas Rickman
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Drama

In Theaters: Mar 7, 1980 Wide
On DVD: May 6, 2003
Studio: MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Loretta Lynn's tough but heartwarming biopic.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Though a classic rags to riches saga, this biopic of Loretta Lynn doesn't fall victim to cliches, and benefits immensely from the astonishingly authentic turn from Sissy Spacek, who does her own singing; even real-life singer Lynn liked the picture
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
Eschews convention and presents one of the more honest and non-pandering Hollywood depictions of the South of the last quarter century.
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Superior biopic with an unforgettable performance by Sissy Spacek
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
This uplifting drama, based on Loretta Lynn's autobiography, shows how her marriage kept changing to accommodate her career as the First Lady of country music.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Jason O

My aunt and cousin were watching "The Coal Miner's Daughter" and I wasn't really wanting to watch it. There wasn't anything else to do, so I watched it. It was actually a pretty good movie. It tells the biography of Loretta Lynn all the way from how she… More
My aunt and cousin were watching "The Coal Miner's Daughter" and I wasn't really wanting to watch it. There wasn't anything else to do, so I watched it. It was actually a pretty good movie. It tells the biography of Loretta Lynn all the way from how she struggled becoming a mother at the age of 14 all the way to when she forgot the lyrics on stage one night. It also has everything in between such as her becoming friends with Patsy Cline and how she achieved superstardom and became the queen of country music. Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones put on great performances as do the others in the movie. Sissy Spacek sings all the songs herself and does a great job as Loretta Lynn. If you like biographical movies, you need to see "The Coal Miner's Daughter." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000 of this great film from the year I was born. Surprised its average rating here on Flixster isn't higher. Would like to see it again, even though I'm not a fan of much old (i.e., older than 80's) country.
Red L

Movie's OK. I would probably rate it higher if I could stand country music.
jay n

sissy and tommy lee are both very very good but the film could have used a little editing.
Cindy I

I think Sissy Spacek was channeling Loretta Lynn somehow. Fantastic performance, especially since Sissy did all her own singing, 25 years before Jamie Foxx and Joaquin Phoenix. Great movie.
Jason V

Buoyed by a stellar performance from Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner's Daughter does exactly what it sets out to do: tell the story of country music superstar Loretta Lynn, warts and all. Sure, some aspects were undoubtedly left out for one reason or another, but the film includes just… More
Buoyed by a stellar performance from Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner's Daughter does exactly what it sets out to do: tell the story of country music superstar Loretta Lynn, warts and all. Sure, some aspects were undoubtedly left out for one reason or another, but the film includes just enough of those moments to feel authentic. Neither CMD nor Spacek shy away from the more controversial aspects of the singers life, including her marriage before she was 14 and a somewhat rocky marriage. Yet the film never wallows in the negative; it embraces everything, channeling all of it to form a complete picture of the outspoken singer.
Dannielle A

I was surprised to find this beautiful gem of a movie and can't believe that I hadn't heard of it before. The acting was Oscar worthy and the script was true to life. It was a really nice treat. If movies were foods, this would be a chocolate cake.
Erin C

This movie was really good! The cast was great, and Spacek did an awesome job in her role. She and Jones worked really well together.
Leo L

A great movie!
Haley A

Really good!!! Sissy Spacek is amazing in this Academy Award winning performance, and Tommy Lee Jones is great...as always.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn

            Tommy Lee Jones as Doolittle "Mooney" Lynn

            Beverly D'Angelo as Patsy Cline

            Levon Helm as Ted Webb

            Phyllis Boyens as Clara Webb

            Ernest Tubb as Himself

            Robert Elkins as Bobby Day

            Bob Hannah as Charlie Dick

            Bill Anderson Jr. as Webb Children

            Foster Dickerson as Webb Child

            Malla McCown as Webb Child

            Pamela McCown as Webb Child

            Kevin Salvilla as Webb Child

            Sissy Lucas as Loretta and Mooney's Child

            Brian Warf as Loretta & Mooney's Child

            Elizabeth Watson as Loretta and Mooney's Child

            David Barry Gray as Doc Turner

            J. Michael Baish as Storekeeper

            Charles Kahlenberg as Business Manager

            Merle Kilgore as Cowboy at Tootsie's

            Susan Kingsley as Girl at Fairgrounds

            Gary Parker as Radio Station Manager

            William Sanderson as Lee Dollarhide

            David Thornhill as The Coal Miner's Band

            Frank Mitchell as Washington Neighbor

            Billy Strange as Speedy West

            Jim Webb as Bus Driver

            Doug Bledsoe as Cowboy at Grange Hall

            Royce Clark as Hugh Cherry

            Allison Caine
            
            Billy West as The Patsy Cline Band

            Pat Patterson as Loretta's Children
See full cast