Crazy Heart - Movie Review

Imagine a film where a washed up entertainer has an opportunity for a swan song. This entertainer has a strained relationship with a lady friend, serious personal issues and a non-existent relationship with his adult child. No, I'm not talking about The Wrestler or A Star is Born, although those correlation came to mind while I was watching. I am talking about Jeff Bridges' phenomenal performance in Crazy Heart. I liked The Wrestler, Crazy Heart does the concept better.

Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) still performs. At fifty-seven years old, the country music legend has resorted to playing bowling alleys and hunky-tonks. His protege, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) has morphed with country music and is still selling out concert halls. While Sweet tours with a fleet of modern tour buses, the time-bitten Blake tours in his ancient Silverado. Blake gives us a clue what rock-bottom looks like. Blake's luck takes a turn for the better when he is interviewed by a cute reporter, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who takes a liking to his country charm.

As a relationship buds between Blake and Craddock, Blake's music returns. There is a tender scene where Blake is playing his guitar on Craddock's bed. Blake asks her if she remembers it. When she indicates that she can't remember where she heard it, Blake tells her that he just wrote it. Craddock indicates that it sounded like she knew it. "The good ones always do," is Blake's charming response. Craddock is amazed and upset at the way the music simply comes out of Blake, an indication that she once struggled to create without success. But Craddock's emotion isn't anger or jealousy...it is fear. She fears that she will lose Blake, that she will have to listen to a song written on her bed and Blake will forget where the song came from. It forms the start to a relationship destined to fail.

Blake has some demons to exorcise, but they don't seem to be the obvious ones. His relationships and music are consistent, whether good or bad. But his alcoholism is going to kill him or hurt people around him. Crazy Heart never explains why Blake separated ways with Tommy Sweet, but does give some indication that it was actually Sweet who left the duo to save his marriage. So it doesn't appear that booze brought Blake down. But one thing is certain, once Blake got down, booze was certain to show him where the bottom was.

The problem with films that concentrate on issues like alcoholism is the temptation to slip into stereotypes or to score cheap points with cliche. I was expecting to see Crazy Heart slip into the same rut, but was pleasantly surprised to see the film zig when I thought it would zag. It worked for me. Director Scott Cooper adapted the screenplay from a novel written by Thomas Cobb. Although there were parallels with The Wrestler, this film was genuine and unique. The characters studies, dialogue and decisions regarding the actions of the characters were all carefully measured. The writing created an exceptional platform upon which Jeff Bridges could deliver yet another award winning performance.

Acting. Both Bridges and Gyllenhaal were nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance. Bridges won. The chemistry between the two was credible, which enhanced each of their performances. Bridges had a Kris Kristofferson thing going in this film. He looks the part of an old-school country singer and brings a crotchety crustiness to his role that has to be seen to fully appreciate. Gyllenhaal creates balance for Bridges' character as a sweet, injured romantic. The two are surrounded by some Hollywood powerhouses like Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell. However, the heart in Crazy Heart is shared between the two exceptional leads who easily carry this film.

I don't normally spend much time talking about movie soundtracks because I don't want to expose my musical ignorance. Crazy Heart presents an exception. Country music is last on my list of listening preferences. I do, however, enjoy Blues, which shares a common ancestry with many music genres. Early country, like the type portrayed in Crazy Heart, was infused with Blues music. Bad Blake quotes a Blues musician or two among his early inspirations, along with several other Blues inspired country musicians. Some of the original music in Crazy Heart shared that Blues influence, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Some of the music was less appealing to me. I should also mention that Bridges performs the music in this film and surprised me with his talent. Although I would not be inclined to purchase a Jeff Bridges' album, I was delighted to see him lend his voice to the music. This film also won an Oscar for the song The Weary Kind.

Crazy Heart is yet another film that has baffled me when it comes to the MPAA. The film deals with the subject of alcoholism, contains some strong language and a few brief sensual scenes that are tastefully presented without nudity. Okay, we see a hand beginning to slip into the panties...but that is probably the most questionable scene in the film. I would not object to allowing children to see this film. No nudity, brief sexuality, language and alcohol, all contextual...all tastefully handled. Run time is one hour, 52 minutes.

Crazy Heart reached me. The film picks up a washed up singer who has hit rock bottom and dusts him off. It was rewarding, simplistic and straight-forward. It was symbolic, tender and original. It was a country music song. The performances in Crazy Heart were worthy of the awards they received (and the nominations that didn't win). The screenplay avoids cliche. The film tugs at your heart strings and makes you laugh, balancing the drama with humor and topping it off with a happy (but not corny or predictable) ending. What's not to like? 8.5/10.

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