Synopsis: In ‘Crazy Heart,’ an aging country singer must face his lifestyle and the future.
Release Date: December 16, 2009 MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Drama
Film Review
With great music, romance, laughter, and performances that cannot be missed, Crazy Heart is a movie you will not regret watching. Ever. It is the story of Bad Blake, a former country music star who now plays bowling alleys and dive bars to make a living. He is always on the road but never going anywhere. Then he meets a woman and as the story goes, things change. The film has all the angles to please every sort of movie goer palette. It has some faults along the way but who cares, it is still incredibly moving, absolutely hilarious (in a darker sort of way) and thoroughly entertaining.
The script had me until the final act. The characters are grand, the dialogue superbly written, and the overall story absolutely engaging. Some of the things Bad Blake says have you rolling with laughter. When he turns on the charm with the ladies it is dialogue for the ages. One example if I may…Blake to Jean, on their first meeting: “What do you want to do with your life?…”I know what I don’t want to do again”. So simple but destined to be a classic. Much of that has to do with the coy look in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s eyes (Jean) when she speaks the line. Another if I may. Blake again to Jean after she asks what he is thinking, or something along those lines: “How bad you make this room look.”. Come on, really. Is that the way to seduce a woman? It works for Blake, and it works for the viewer when Blake says it with that smile. So yes, for Bad Blake that is exactly how to seduce a woman. With one-liners that make you laugh so you almost feel sorry for the guy. All of the cleverness in the script does not save it when the turn for the worse occurs, going too far into the melodrama it loses its way. Everything becomes far too effortless for Bad Blake in the third act. Picking up the pieces and becoming a better man is not an easy, simple thing to do; and for someone like Bad Blake with his history it should be incredibly difficult. The screenwriter, Scott Cooper, had such a great story going, and it is still great overall, but the ending is far too neat to really be believable. We would all like to believe overcoming ones demons and changing your entire way of life only take snapping your fingers but here in reality we know that is not true. More depth would have done justice much more to such a fabulous character, and story, as that of Bad Blake.
Bad Blake…Do not ask him his real name because he will not answer. If you ask him if he wants another whiskey then a resounding yes will pass through his lips. Especially if it is on the house. The portrayal of this down and out aging country singer is ideally played by Jeff Bridges and he is without a doubt impeccable. He manages to make an alcoholic, supremely sarcastic, sharp tongued, smooth with the ladies (or so he believes) middle aged man with a prostate problem absolutely delectable. Even kind of sexy. Then he gets on stage and sings and well, you just fall in love a little more. Or catch him in that vulnerable moment when he is making biscuits, playing at the park with a child, or simply smiling with mischievous eyes and you’re done for; your eyes are locked on him and all you want is more. Bad Blake may not be the quintessential hero, or anything in between, but underneath all of the rough exterior and hard living he is a kind and decent man awaiting his salvation. Watching him find his way out of the darkness is deeply gratifying as well as experiencing him reconcile with where his life is going. If Jeff Bridges never played a role again it would be perfectly acceptable after watching this performance. He and Bad Blake can go into film history together; one as a not to be forgotten character, the other as a truly phenomenal actor who brought him to life on screen, and left an undeniable mark in film history.
Fabulous. Enough said. Grab the full soundtrack now with original music by T. Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton, along with Jeff Bridges. They are pure country, and even if you do not “like” country music you will appreciate and maybe even fall in love with these.
Cast and Crew
- Director(s): Scott CooperT-Bone BurnettRob CarlinerScott CooperRobert Duvall
- Producer(s): Scott CooperJeff Bridges (Bad Blake)
- Screenwriter(s): Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jean Craddock)Robert Duvall (Wayne)Colin Farrell (Tommy Sweet)
- Story:
- Cast: John AxelradBarry MarkowitzWaldemar Kalinowski
- Editor(s): Doug HallMary Vernieu
- Cinematographer: Stephen BrutonT-Bone Burnett
- Production Designer(s):
- Costume Designer:
- Casting Director(s):
- Music Score:
- Music Performed By:
- Country Of Origin: USA