Crazy Heart is your solidly good movie. I was expecting that Jeff Bridges’ acting would be more than adequate in his role as Bad Blake, but he surprised me by being really outstanding. So his Oscar for Best Actor was not one of those rewards for his entire body of work, but rather well-earned for Crazy Heart. He very believably inhabited the role of a once great, now washed up, Country musician. He delivered some of the requisite character development necessary for the story, but wasn’t fully supported by a great fleshed-out script. More on that in a bit.
The movie opens with Bad playing a string of really low-rent venues, beginning with a bowling alley. He’s a major alcoholic, he’s unhealthy, he has no family and no future. Yet there is someone who wants to do an interview with him and in walks Maggie Gyllenhaal. She plays Jean Craddock, Bad’s love interest and a beautiful, young single mom of a 4-year old son. And in walks one of my gripes with the movie. Now don’t get me wrong. None of my gripes is anywhere near a deal-breaker for watching and enjoying Crazy Heart. But how believable is this attraction between Jeannie and Bad? The movie somewhat pulls it off, but the script doesn’t really provide enough detail and build-up to be totally credible. Nonetheless, the story proceeds, with or without my approval, with Bad finding love and a sense of family. But if you don’t mind my saying so, the movie’s pace is also pretty slow to that point. I would have preferred less time seeing what a drunk and has-been Bad had become, and more time with the development of this next chapter of his life. But no one asked me.
So there’s conflict, and there’s transformation, and some other good actors along the way. Colin Farrell plays Tommy, who learned everything he knows from Bad. Farrell continues his capable performances (ya gotta love In Bruges) here as the Country music star who’s ever appreciative of his mentor, Bad. And did I mention that Maggie Gyllenhaal was really wonderful as well? (Her unique acting abilities led me to include Secretary in my Best of the Decade movies). Then you got your Robert Duvall contributing his small, but important part as Bad’s old bartender friend.
There’s a lot of Country music. I’m generally not a big fan of the genre, but there’s some very good music going down in this soundtrack. Stephen Bruton and T-Bone Burnett did the original music for the movie, and Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett won a slew of Best Song awards for “The Weary Kind”. So check out Crazy Heart for its music, but mostly for the career best for Jeff Bridges. (Well, on second thought, can any performance ever really trump Jeff—the Dude—Lebowski?) - [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
Drama/Music/Romance
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 4/20/10
[...] Crazy Heart (2009) – A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him. Starring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. – [imdb] – click here to read our review! [...]