Lee Ann Womack is the latest country singer to show up on the big screen. She plays the local sheriff in Noble Things, which was screened at the Nashville Film Festival this weekend, and I’m pleased to report that she holds her own. Filmed in 36 days, mostly around Beaumont, Texas, the movie is about an up-and-coming country singer who squanders his potential, then returns home to face his family’s demons. Brett Moses (pictured with Womack) plays the lead character, and he also co-wrote, co-produced and co-directed the movie. After the screening, Moses told the audience that the role of the sheriff called for someone “authentic, sensitive and with a degree of authority” and noted that Womack possesses those same characteristics off-screen, too.

Moses also emphasized that the movie isn’t focused on the singer’s talent. Instead, it examines the lies and sacrifices that can tear apart a family. Some of the slow-motion cinematography is kind of melodramatic but fortunately the dialogue rings true. It helps that Moses grew up in the area and didn’t have to rely on stereotypes to create a cast of characters. He also called upon some other native sons. Tracy Byrd has a cameo as a country superstar, and Clay Walker served as an executive producer. If you’re a fan of Lee Ann Womack, I think you’ll definitely like watching her in an unexpected role, but even if you’re not, Noble Things is still worth seeing on a Sunday afternoon.

Photo credit: Shelley Justiss/NAFF

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