I've personally lived in places where the closest convenience store was 2.25 km, and the grocery store was nearly 18km, as well as places where a convenience store was literally a part of my building, and grocery stores were walkable distances.
The U.S. is enormous and varied. Take a look at truesizeof and compare the U.S. and Europe (don't forget to add Alaska and Hawaii - they won't be included in the contiguous states). Consider how different London is from rural Romania.
I just saw it today. Can confirm - it's bad. Bad enough I'm upset it exists, because it practically taints the first.
The plot is pretty weak, and to make it worse, sporadically there are flashes that make you think it's finally building towards something, and then it just fizzles.
With very few exceptions, the songs are bad both in terms of the music and the lyrics, and they slow the movie to a crawl.
Additionally, Lady Gaga's lip synching is shameful, especially considering she's most famous for music. Her performance is otherwise fine, but it feels like they could have put anyone in there. She didn't bring anything to the role.
Joaquin Phoenix's performance is pretty good, and the cinematography is good. But... Don't see it. Definitely don't pay for it. I wish I had my money and my time back.