Nashville (1975)

Directed by Robert Altman. Starring Ronee Blakley, Henry Gibson, Keith Carradine, and Lily Tomlin.

Altman is best known for making films with expansive canvases (large ensemble casts, interlocking plotlines, etc.) and this may be his most ambitious effort. Set against the backdrop of the title town, the film deals with various people involved in politics, music, or some combination thereof. Altman presents the still-timely notion (in light of the election of Governor Schwarzenegger) that politics and entertainment go hand in hand in American culture. The film also makes Nashville a major character, positing it as a country-music version of Los Angeles, where stars are a fact of life and where nobodies are but an opportunity or a chance meeting removed from celebrity. This is also a great musical, in which the stars do their own singing (and in some cases, wrote the songs as well), with standouts being Carradine's philandering singer-songwriter and Blakley's prodigiously talented and deeply troubled country star. Above all, it's a great entertainment for any audience member willing to keep his brain switched on. Altman's films are so packed to the brim with detail and activity that they tend to reward multiple viewings, and this one is so much fun that watching it over and over is a welcome proposition.

See also: The Movie Moment: Nashville (Screengrab)