When movie fans hear the word «epic,» their brains go in one million different directions. Some fans may think about the classics of yesteryear, like Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, or Spartacus, due to the incredible economic gains and absolute cultural dominance these films had. More contemporary fans’ minds, however, will immediately go to James Cameron’s Avatar films, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings saga, or even historical dramas like Titanic and Schindler’s List. This large disparity in choices is because the epic label has no clear and agreed-upon definition, but the one consistency is that the epic films usually involve war or a battle of some kind. Due to this, newer fans are usually surprised to learn that the greatest epic of all time is a straight-laced musical drama, with no war or battles to speak of.
Nashville is a 1975 drama from the genius directorial mind of Robert Altman. Nashville is beloved today and was beloved upon release, with critical rave reviews and numerous Oscar nominations, but its fight to the top was not free of controversy. The intersecting exploration of the music business ruffled the feathers of real-life Nashville locals, who saw the film as nothing more than ridicule and parody. Despite this, the film stands today as not only one of the best epics, but as the film with the single greatest final scene of all time.
What is Nashville, and Why is the Final Scene So Good?
Robert Altman’s film catalog is among the most interesting ever crafted. His films range from one-man character study period pieces like Secret Honor, to standard crime drama fare like California Split and The Long Goodbye, all the way to grand and fully immersive ensemble films like Short Cuts, Gosford Park, and, of course, Nashville. The legendary filmmaker had nothing if not range, but his true filmmaking passion undoubtedly lay in huge, sprawling, and humanist ensemble pieces. While the odd fan will claim that a different Altman film is his magnum opus, the general consensus is that 1975’s Nashville is the cream of the crop.
While there is a discernible plot to follow in Nashville‘s titanic 160-minute runtime, it is incredibly difficult to distill into words. Altman’s film (which was penned by Joan Tewkesbury) follows the intersecting stories of over 24 characters who populate the titular town. These characters range from country music stars, wannabes, and cutthroat managers to reporters, roadies, and presidential candidates, and the film chaotically analyzes how the town in which they live affects them all personally.
Nashville holds the record for the film with the most Golden Globe nominations (11).
While watching Nashville, viewers will feel conflicted and confused about the film’s direction for upwards of two hours, but it slowly coalesces and comes together into a satisfying and shocking climax that ranks among the best of all time. Due to this «learn as you go» quality, it would be doing a disservice to the film to divulge any intricate plot details.
The only thing essential to know is that the final central event connecting these interwoven characters is a large concert rally for a third-party outsider presidential candidate, Hal Phillip Walker. The film tracks these characters, from personal drama to high-stakes politics, as they gear up for the event and tensions slowly build, but the eventual release is something that not even the most astute viewer can predict. Altman and company use this long build-up to analyze the role of politics in entertainment, the validity of the American Dream, and the toxic culture that comes with celebrity obsession. In 15 minutes, the film goes from laid-back hangout film to high-stakes thriller, and it truly has to be seen to be believed.
While it may seem dense and packed to the brim with thematic content, the best quality about Nashville is that it never feels like a chore. Despite the incredibly deep meaning that comes from Altman’s beautiful imagery and Joan Tewkesbury’s masterfully crafted words, Nashville comes across more as a hangout film than an American epic. The film’s structure is unlike any other. Instead of a series of grand scenes that wrap every character together, the film is a series of 2-minute sketches, brief glimpses, sneak peeks into the lives of these lovely characters, that are just short enough so that the audience never truly gets to know them. By the end of the 160 minutes, an audience member is unlikely to remember the names of the characters they’ve gotten to know, but they will resonate with the emotions they felt for years to come.
Nashville Should've Won Best Picture
With half a century between today and the release of Nashville, it should be an easy claim that the film deserved Best Picture. Despite most Best Picture nominees throughout history being great films in their own right, it is incredibly rare that all of them maintain cultural relevance decades later. For example, The Godfather Part II‘s Best Picture win is often considered one of the greatest of all time, not only due to the film’s quality, but also due to the fierce competition in the category. The Godfather Part II was nominated alongside fellow Coppola film, The Conversation and Chinatown, but rounding out the category was Lenny and The Towering Inferno, both of which have unfortunately fallen into obscurity.
1975, against all odds, contains five nominees that still remain incredibly relevant a half-century later, which makes the claim that «Nashville deserved Best Picture» a bold and brave claim. Aside from Nashville, the nominees were Stanley Kubrick’s historical epic, Barry Lyndon, the Al Pacino tour de force, Dog Day Afternoon, one of the most acclaimed films of all time, Jaws, and the eventual winner, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. While One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a Jack Nicholson masterclass and a powerful adaptation of an incredible novel, it fails to provide the same evergreen analysis that Nashville did.
The original cut of Nashville was so long that it was nearly released as two separate films, entitled «Nashville Red» and «Nashville Blue.»
Nashville, from the political foreshadowing of Hal Phillip Walker’s character, all the way to the analysis of media sensationalism, is still relevant today. If viewed through the right lens, Nashville will feel like a glimpse into the future from the past. Not only this, but the cinematic influence of Nashville and Robert Altman as a whole cannot be understated. Without Altman and Nashville, there is no Paul Thomas Anderson, there are no Safdie Brothers, and so many others. Altman’s flair for humanism, subversion, and pioneering attitude during the New Hollywood movement set off a chain reaction that is still felt in today’s cinematic landscape, and he should’ve been awarded more with Academy Awards gold.
Nashville Was Somewhat Controversial Upon Release
With 24 intersecting characters serving as the backbone of the film, it is easy for characters to get jumbled up and feel too similar. The easiest way to avoid this character confusion is by leaning heavily into stereotypes, and Joan Tewkesbury and Robert Altman decided to do just that. This creative decision worked to their benefit for the film itself, as the long list of seemingly similar Nashville musicians is all easily distinguished from each other, but the consequences extended far beyond the silver screen.
After the film’s release, Nashville was utterly despised by the country music community, specifically those in the city of Nashville. Many characters in the film are depicted as wannabes, and the city as a whole is depicted as a place full of leeches and people willing to do anything to make it to the top. Nashville residents and country music stars, as a whole, believed that the film sought to ridicule and mock them, but they could not be more wrong.
The thing that these dissenters missed out on is the fact that Nashville‘s most sympathetic characters are the exact ones they took issue with. Characters like Sueleen Gay and Winifred demonstrate everything wrong with the music scene, but in the process, establish themselves as just slaves to the system. The film doesn’t ridicule any singular individual, nor does it even really ridicule the Nashville music industry, but instead seeks to ridicule American life.
|
IMDb Score |
Tomatometer |
Popcornmeter |
Letterboxd Score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7.6/10 |
89% |
83% |
4.2/5 |
As time has passed since Nashville‘s release, the film has become more and more beloved in country music circles, specifically in the titular town. This newfound adoration is reflected in the film’s critical consensus. As of June 2025, Nashville has a glowing 89% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, and an 83% rating from fans. Altman’s film also rakes in the love on other user-driven platforms like Letterboxd and IMDb, where it is routinely listed on favorite films of all-time lists.
While it got off to a rocky start with local controversy and a Best Picture loss, Nashville has slowly and steadily transformed from a polarizing hit piece into an undeniable masterpiece. The film stands as the magnum opus of one of the best American filmmakers. Nashville is a sprawling mosaic, haunting political commentary, laid-back hangout film, and shattered the norms of what an “epic” can be. As the exact 50th anniversary of this film approaches, fans would be remiss if they didn’t give this masterpiece a revisit.
