Entertainment

HO-HUM HOEDOWN; ‘BALLAD’ HO-HUM RUSSKY HOEDOWN

THE BALLAD OF BERING STRAIT

Russkies go to Nashville.

Running time: 98 minutes. Not rated (nothing objectionable). At Loews State, 1540 Broadway (between 45th and 46th streets); and Village East, 12th Street at Second Avenue.

MUCH like the Russian country music band that is its subject, this well-made but slightly rote documentary never fully realizes the potential it has on paper.

Bering Strait is a band comprised of seven teenagers from Obninsk, Russia, who fell in love with bluegrass and traditional country; documentarian Nina Gilden Seavey follows their journey from their small hometown to the music conservatories of Moscow to Nashville, where they find their holy grail – a record deal.

These Russian youngsters are earnest, determined and likable, and they effortlessly create the empathy necessary for audiences to root for them through the highs and lows that inevitably dot the path to success.

Lead vocalist Natasha Borzilova sings in English flawlessly, and the entire outfit plays slick hoe-down pop that would fit in seamlessly on contemporary radio. And therein lies the problem.

While their music is enjoyable, there’s really little to distinguish this band from the thousands of other young Nashville hopefuls.

Red flag: They learned to play country by listening to Garth Brooks.

Little is made of the cultural fusion aspect of their story, and ultimately the struggle-for-success tale is as homogenized as the music.