Underrated Western Romance With 2 Taylor Sheridan Stars Finds Shocking Success 16 Years Later

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Published Feb 26, 2026, 3:38 PM EST

Rohan Naahar is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

When Taylor Sheridan revealed the cast of his hotly anticipated Yellowstone prequel series 1883, it took a moment to sink in. While the show initially seemed to be headlined by the veteran Sam Elliott, it also featured country music icons — and real-life couple — Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, alongside newcomer Isabel May. 1883 was presented from the perspective of May's character, Elsa Dutton, and the young actress was clearly the series' breakout star. She's set to appear in the upcoming Scream 7, and an action movie produced by John Wick's Chad Stahelski. May will also star opposite David Corenswet and appear in a Robert Zemeckis film. That's quite a resume she's building. However, Hill and McGraw, who played Elsa's parents in 1883, have returned to their regular lives as country music icons. The show's popularity cannot be underestimated, and it has been surging on home video again this week. Along with it, fans also seem to have discovered a forgotten tearjerker that McGraw starred in 16 years ago.

The movie was released in 2010 and was headlined by Gwyneth Paltrow, who played an alcoholic country singer whose career is teetering on the edge. They were joined in the cast by Garrett Hedlund (a fellow Taylor Sheridan alum thanks to his role in Tulsa King) and Leighton Meester. The film borrowed heavily from the A Star Is Born template. Incidentally, Bradley Cooper would go on to remake A Star Is Born in 2018, and Elliott, who co-starred with McGraw in 1883, had a pivotal supporting role in the Oscar-winning movie. Paltrow and McGraw's film, on the other hand, was directed by Shana Feste, who is now putting together a Netflix thriller called Heartland, in which Jessica Chastain plays a country singer.

Here's Where You Can Watch Tim McGraw and Garrett Hedlund's Tearjerker

The 2010 film was released during the awards season in December, roughly a year after the similarly themed film Crazy Heart, which won Jeff Bridges an Oscar. The movie in question is Country Strong; although it was positioned as an awards contender, it earned poor reviews and underperformed at the box office. Country Strong grossed $20 million worldwide, which is less than half of what Crazy Heart earned worldwide. It is now sitting at a 23% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "The cast gives it their all, and Paltrow handles her songs with aplomb, but Country Strong's clichéd, disjointed screenplay hits too many bum notes." Despite underwhelming reviews, the movie scored an Oscar nomination in the Best Original Song category. According to FlixPatrol, it was among the most-watched movies on the domestic Tubi charts this week. You can watch the movie at home. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.