Bridges delivers a powerful performance in Crazy Heart as the story follows ‘Bad’ Blake, a whiskey-swigging legend of a musician, who would trade horses for a guitar. His music has inspired a generation of country and western performers, yet his high regard hasn’t translated into the high life the way he’d want it to be. His alcoholism and loneliness are crunch factors that keep Bad, well… bad. He’s bad to the bone and destined to be that way until he meets Jean Craddock, a young journalist and single mother played by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Crazy Heart does the unthinkable… it actually makes you appreciate and respect country music. We’ve all heard a guy with a twelve-gallon hat crooning on about his jaded love life or missing teeth, but what really goes into a country and western song? Crazy Heart answers that foreboding question with much gusto and a terrific performance from Jeff Bridges, who talks, walks and sings like the real thing.
More surprising is the fact that Crazy Heart is Scott Cooper’s directorial debut. Cooper penned the script based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb, produced and directed Bridges, making this a passion project for him. His struggling actor days are a thing of the past now that Crazy Heart is out there and he’ll be sending plenty of thank yous to ‘The Dude Ranch’ for putting him on the map. The film’s soundtrack is heartfelt and full of tunes to rattle your bones. Bridges goes headlong, belting out his own numbers and doing such a fine job that he could always fall back on a career in country and western if he ever gets tired of winning awards for acting.
It’s a struggle of a film, not because you’ll be itching to leave, but because like Leaving Las Vegas… it’s about dysfunction. Bad Blake’s old habits die hard and even the Marlboro man’s got a last pack to smoke. His on-the-road lifestyle has left an overweight, smoking, drinking and aged party animal, whose wily ways still work for the ladies. Watching him battle on makes this redemptive film courageous, despite all his setbacks. It’s got heart, soul and there are plenty of hard life lessons to take away.
If you don’t like country and western music, don’t let that be the only reason you don’t go and see Bridges deliver an Oscar-worthy performance. Gyllenhaal’s efforts show how much she’s matured since that poor substitution for Katie Holmes in The Dark Knight and she makes a suitable support to Bridges with Colin Farrell in the wings. Drama, romance, music… Crazy Heart has it all, functioning like a country and western blend of Almost Famous and Leaving Las Vegas. All in all, a solid choice, even if you don’t wear boots and a Stetson when you eat breakfast. As the tag line goes… “The Harder the Life, The Sweeter the Song”.
The bottom line: Powerful.
