Movie Review: "Pure Country 2: The Gift"

Synopsis: Bobbie Thompson (country star Katrina Elam) has an amazing gift: a huge, exceptional singing voice.  Raised by her "aunt" after the death of her mother, Bobbie escapes small-town life and heads to Nashville, hoping to become country music's next "it" girl.  She soon gets a recording contract and is about to perform before a sold-out crowd...when she suddenly finds she can't sing anymore.  Where did her voice go? Will she ever get it back? If she can't...she could be in serious trouble!
Also features appearances by Dean Cain (God's Not Dead), Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers), and George Strait (the original Pure Country).

The Good: Can a sequel be better than the original? In this case, yes; however, the first outing in this series wasn't very good anyway.  This second installment has a great moral compass, wonderful performances, a likable and attractive heroine, and portrays clergy in a positive light.  It's not groundbreaking cinema or anything, but it's still great fun for what it is.

The Bad: Though not as badly as its prequel, this flick does have some content issues.  Profanity pops up: about five d-words, two or three a-words, and a misuse of God's name here and there.  It's implied that a character was born of an illicit affair, and Bobbie is seen wearing some low-cut outfits.  Drinking is present, though it is vilified.  The biggest issue, however, was in the first scene: "angels" in what appears to be heaven are seen to be swearing, and are portrayed irreverently.  Some viewers, especially Christians, may take issue with such a display.

Conclusion: My mom is a fan of country music...but only the male singers.  I've heard the musical stylings of Brad Paisley, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Lonestar for years.  While country isn't exactly my favorite genre, I do enjoy some of it...by artists of both genders.  I'd never heard of Katrina Elam before buying this DVD, but, I have to say that I love her voice.  Unless you absolutely hate country tunes, this may make for a fun rental.

Score: 3/5