Critical Roundup is a new weekly feature in which we take a look at what other local critics had to say about newly-released movies that we haven’t seen yet due to scheduling conflicts, financial shortfalls, or personal disinterest.

A predominantly female audience, perhaps fed up with playoff football, headed out to theaters to see ‘No-Drink and the Country’ (AKA ‘Country Strong’) over the weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.  Unfortunately, that only added up to $7.3 million, only good enough for 6th place in the nationwide results. But what did our local critics think?

• “The staged musical performances are the best thing about ‘Country Strong,’ a movie that otherwise resembles a hard-times country ballad as acted out by Hollywood performers.” (John P. Meyer, Pegasus News)
• “A melodrama with a twang. Writer/director Shana Feste delivers an honest if not over-the-top film.” (Gary Murray, Big Fanboy)
• “Dripping with tearjerker scenes, melodrama, and cheesy dialogue.” (Jenny Alme, Red Carpet Crash)
• “While ‘Country Strong’ often feels like two uneven movies in one, writer/director Shana Feste’s backstage musical hits all the right notes for a classic melodrama.” (Gwen Reyes, Gordon and the Whale)

So do you still want to see it? Or will you save your money?