Crazy Heart

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Crazy Heart-360P

Crazy Heart-720P

Crazy Heart-480P

Crazy Heart-360P

Much as I like Jeff Bridges, I think this is one of his worst movies ever. The plot revolves around the downfall of a faded country-western singer, who likes drinking and is not good at relationships. He is supposed to start appreciating life again, thanks to the love for a young reporter – a single mother, to add also the love for the child into the package. Unfortunately, the love story is complicated, but there is a happy ending of some sort … I suppose. I cannot really say I followed too closely, because I fell asleep half way into the movie. This is something that almost never happens to me, unless the movie is really boring, and in this case I can confirm this movie is so incredibly boring that it does not even feel like an original movie. More like a patch-up job of countless "rebirth" stories. Weirdly enough, Jeff Bridges looks a lot like Kris Kristofferson, more than like his handsome self. Since I hate country-western I did not even appreciate the music. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the female star of the movie, the young mother who helps Jeff resurrecting. She is also supposed to be a great actress, but I cannot understand why. I am starting to get tired of her chipmunk cheeks and her perennial half smile – suggesting she is seductive but also approachable, or whatever. I would not describe her as having any star appeal. In fact, I am avoiding anything she is in. Conclusion: Jeff Bridges deserved an Oscar, but not for this kind of junk. Coming from a Jeff Bridges fan, this is some statement.

So far, only two other IMDb users (Casablanca and M2b) saw the same movie I saw when we went to see Crazy Heart. I was tricked into seeing the movie by falling for the Oscar buzz surrounding Jeff Bridges, who plays Bad Blake. And even though we all knew this was going to be The Wrestler with music, my friends and I went to see what the critics promised: Jeff Bridges transcend an obviously formulaic plot with an amazing performance. Bridges performance was spot on as a disgusting, burnt out, drunkard, who, like Randy 'The Ram' Robinson has to settle for humiliating gigs in no-name towns, just to keep himself in booze and cigarettes. Good performance. Not amazing. But the rest of the movie goes nowhere and none of us could buy the romance between "Bad" and Jean, played by Maggie Gyllenhal. Maggie's never looked better, but instead of channeling Marisa Tomei and looking a little down and out or rough around the edges, we are supposed to believe that this perky single mom with an adorable son and neat-as-a-pin house would fall in love with an overweight, sloppy drunk who drinks 'till he pukes, chain smokes and spends his days watching *. No back story on Jean and why she would be so vulnerable that she'd fall in love with him during an interview.... Mommy was a country music groupie with a crush on "Bad"? .... Daddy was an alcoholic who ran off on her? .....all we know is that she's made "bad choices". Robert Duval plays himself, basically. The character actors are believable, but not engaging. The one subtle but surprising performance was turned in by Colin Farrell who impresses me more each time I see him. I know I ask a lot of my $12 movie ticket. Next time I'll trust my instincts.

Saw an early screening of "Crazy Heart". "Crazy Heart" is a very good film for one reason. Many critics have praised it and will continue to do so. Many critics will write it off as "just another washed-up musician struggling to overcome their addictions and weaknesses and make sense of things", etc. In a way, they are right. In a way, this is another one of those movies. But, because of Jeff Bridges' absolutely amazing performance, this film is more than that. If you want to see an actor breathe real-life into their character, endow truthful subtlety in their part, and absolutely nail a role that they were born to play, then you need to see Jeff Bridges rendition of Bad Blake. I believed that Bridge's portrayal of "The Dude" in "The Big Lebowski" was the essential role of his career, but after seeing this performance, I've changed my tune. It's true that we will not be witnessing cinematic history with the incredible plot or awe-inspiring film-making. However, if you are a fan of acting and want to see one of those performances that comes along every once in a rare while, please check out this film.

Here is the film that the ridiculously talented Jeff Bridges finally won an Oscar for, and deservedly so. His performance is the gleaming highlight of this film in the best way possible. He is playing washed up country singer Bad Blake, trying to overcome alcoholism and a dying career. The story is very touching, and how could you expect anything less than incredible from a character study piloted by Jeff Bridges. The film has a very organized focus on Bridges' character but he is also backed by a fantastic supporting cast. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an aspiring reporter who interviews Blake, only to fall in love with him shortly after. Her performance is equally touching and feels so real alongside Bridges. Colin Farrell plays Tommy Sweet, an old friendship of Bad Blake's that went sour somewhere along the line. And then of course there is the small yet significant role of Bad Blake's long time old fishing buddy Wayne, played by the masterful Robert Duvall. The limited number of scenes between Bridges and Duvall are some of the best and most sincere of the movie. Crazy Heart is a great film to watch in order to see fantastic actors do what they do best... act. The character development in Crazy Heart embodies the film's strong suit, which is the wonderful acting ability of the cast. There is not a moment when you don't believe in these characters and you truly feel that they are sincere and real. It is also just so incredibly satisfying to watch legends like Bridges and Duvall act side by side in beautiful and perfectly fitting roles such as these. The story of Bad Blake itself is very interesting, but the characters are where the heart and soul of the film lay. The plot leaves something to be desired, but it doesn't fault the movie as much as it could when you have such great actors filling the roles of such articulated characters. Admittedly, the film drags a bit towards the middle and the climax of the film doesn't hit as hard as I would have liked, but it leads into a cathartic and slightly cheesy ending, which leaves you wanting more, but emotionally satisfying nonetheless. Now, I am not a fan of country music at all, but in the context of this film I absolutely loved it. It is so beautiful and touching that it would almost be a crime to say you didn't like the music while watching its fitting place in this film. And as if I haven't praised the actors in this film enough, I have to give even more kudos to Bridges and Farrell who took voice lessons to sing their own songs in the film, and holy crap do they sound amazing. You would think Jeff Bridges had been a country singer all his life. If you're not a fan of country music I wouldn't recommend listening to the music before you see the movie. But after you see just how perfect the soundtrack fits the film you will love the music. The music makes this film all the more sincere and is one of the only contexts I will ever enjoy country music. Crazy Heart isn't perfect, but I'm willing to go as far to say that Jeff Bridges is. I can get past the imperfections of the storyline and the slight melodramatic feel the last third of the film emanates when the film boasts a cast as good as this. This is a solid film that is a pure delight to watch. And best of all, it nabbed Jeff Bridges a long overdue Oscar win.