Produced in time for the American Bicentennial, this comedy drama is Robert Altman's magnum opus. It's perhaps not as fully realised as The Long Goodbye, California Split or The Player, but it is breathtaking in its scope and ambition, nonetheless. Set in Nashville (in other words, Hollywood with a twang and a gee-tar), it's less a story than a mosaic with two dozen characters who connect, disconnect and reflect aspects of America, notably its music and politics. Ronee Blakley is one of the principal characters, supported by, among others, Geraldine Chaplin, Shelley Duvall and Ned Beatty, with cameos from Elliott Gould and Julie Christie. Its blend of country-and-western music, comedy and tragedy is never less than dazzling, and it represents a major technical achievement for its visual and sound editors.

The intersecting stories of twenty-four characters—from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress—connect to the music business in Nashville, Tennessee.