Review: Crazy Heart (Theatrical)

"Crazy Heart" vs. "The Wrestler." That's all I kept thinking going into this movie. I knew it starred someone who all the talk was about for Best Actor and the story line was about a person who had been famous and successful and who had since fallen from grace and kept on keeping on the road to self-destruction. I knew the main character fell for a girl who was messed up herself and had a kid, and though she wanted to be with him, she knew he was bad for her. On paper it just sounded a lot like "The Wrestler" from last year starring Mickey Rourke, but in reality it was different. Obviously. It's a different movie.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, an old country singer who's broke, down on his luck, and can't seem to make his way back up from playing in tiny saloons and bowling alleys. He meets Jean, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal (too many letters of the same type), a reporter writing an article on him who he basically charms and begins a doomed from the beginning relationship with. So the two fight and get on and off and he keeps drinking and she keeps worrying and I keep wondering where this could possibly go. I knew if it was anything like "The Wrestler" I was going to walk out being all mopey and sad. But just when you think it's going down that road, it doesn't. Things kinda turn around for Bad Blake- maybe not in the best possible way - but the movie ends on a fairly good note whereas with "The Wrestler" I was all "Behhhhhhhhh" and sad.

I did like how the movie was almost a country musical. The songs by T-Bone Streep, nope...I mean T-Bone Burnett sort of commented on the place Bad Blake was in his life, but still could've been taken out of context to work as the bluesy folksy classic country hits they could've been. I don't particulary like this type of music but I found myself tappin' my toes quite a bit and Jeff Bridges is quite a musician! So is Colin Farrell, which was a big surprise to me. Who knew. Remember when he was always on coke?

So Jeff Bridges is front runner for the Oscar? Eh? Alright. I can see it. He made it look easy, almost like he wasn't even acting at all. Which might be the key to him playing this part because it doesn't seem like he's much different than Bad Blake in real life. Well, maybe he is, but he made me think he was Bad Blake regardless. He's very good. With seeing this film, I've now seen all Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominees. While I'm still partial for Best Actor to Colin Firth in "A Single Man" who crushed me with a single hearbreaking scene, Bridges does carry the whole movie, and he's good, so I'll be OK if and when he wins. Maggie Gyllenhaal is good, but she won't win Best Supporting Actress this year (Hello M'oM'o.) Plus Gyllenhaal always bothers me always bothers me a little bit. Maybe it's because of all of her Ls and As in her name, but I think it more likely has something to do with her sloopy shoulders she always seems to show off when she wears a lot of strapless tops.


Patrick Approval Rating: 8/10

Crazy Heart @ imdb