Could you see yourself feeling sorry for a bad punk-rock singer, addicted to heroin and going nowhere in her life? Before I saw “Georgia,” I never could have.

But with a stirring performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh and excellent supporting work, many movie and societal standards are turned on their head in “Georgia.”

Leigh stars as Sadie Flood, an ambitious vocalist with no talent but a burning desire to make it big. Sadie, however, has a terrible drug and alcohol habit that is holding her back even more than her lack of skill.

Georgia, Sadie’s sister, seems to be a complete opposite. Played by Mare Winningham, Georgia is a country singer who has a husband and two children and never takes alcohol past the dinner table. At the beginning of the film, we see Georgia and Sadie as two people as different as can be; they can barely stand each other.

The focus of the film, though, is the hidden similarities between the sisters. We find that Georgia is the one with the bad marriage and that she is the one most torn up by Sadie’s hopelessness. And, of course, these discoveries lead to Sadie and Georgia learning how much they love each other.

While Leigh and Winningham turn superb performances, Sadie’s boyfriend/worshipper steals the show. Played by Max Perlich, the boyfriend appears one day at Sadie’s apartment delivering groceries and never really leaves. While he’s never at ease with his surroundings or Sadie herself, his idolatry of the singer keeps him at her side 24 hours a day.

The one thing I appreciated most was how the movie subtly looked at Sadie’s psychological problems without blaming everything on an abusive father. It seems that every movie nowadays has some screwed-up character who can trace all their problems to a parent beating them.

It’s obvious, though, that Sadie’s problems are family related, and this theme is well developed. We learn quickly that she is envious of everything Georgia has.

However, once in a while, the symbolic parts of the film are taken too far. When we get to listen to a three-minute song from start to finish just to catch the importance of the chorus, it comes across more like a dreadful English assignment than a worthwhile movie.

Also, the character development often seemed forced. At times, it seems like the screenwriters needed to fill a hole in the story so they just found an empty spot in the movie and filled in an explanatory conversation.

Comparisons will undoubtedly be drawn between “Georgia” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” Both are more depressing than the typical Hollywood formula flick and certainly don’t send audiences away laughing.

But if “Las Vegas” was a little too sad, you might still like “Georgia.” It has a generally positive message and a love story much more uplifting than one of a prostitute and a drunk.

Grade: B