"Crazy Heart" is a biographical film about Bad Blake, a man who only exists within the film and the accompanying novel by Thomas Cobb. This is quite a fascinating concept surrounding the idea that most music icons tend to live similar lives. Drugs, alcohol, sneaking out after one-night stands, the one that believed in them enough to change them- these are all overly familiar origins within the genre. What separates movies like "Crazy Heart" and last year's "The Wrestler" from mediocrity would be the brilliant performances present.
Jeff Bridges won his Oscar for this film, and his win was within very good reason indeed. When we meet Bad Blake, he's already a washed-up country singer doing gigs at a bowling alley. He's not suicidal, but his love of whiskey seems to dull the pain. While he's drunk and seems to never show up to rehearsals, despite how much it may mean to his impromptu band, he famously never misses a performance. He still has some amount of joy out of pleasing his audience and is never intentionally rude to them, but as it must, his alcoholism comes into play.
Blake meets up with a young reporter, Jane Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Oscar-nominated here), and begins to develop a friendship with she and her young son, Buddy. Gyllenhaal, like her brother, is one of today's best actors. Her role may not be quite on par with the three front-runners in her category (winner Mo'Nique for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" and nominees Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga both for "Up in the Air"), but this performance has passion, depth, and strong roots in a living, breathing character. I can't wait for what she has for us in the future.
Colin Farrell is probably one of the most unlikely of actors for his role as a new, hot country singer, Tommy Sweet. He performs the golden song, 'The Weary Kind' with a kind of unique charm that only the man behind "In Bruges" could emote. The song reminded me of my favorite Original Song winner, 'Falling Slowly' from "Once," with simplicity in its arrangement but an incredibly touching depth to the performance. I was very happy to see this wonderful song win its due.
I have only said positive things about the movie, but the film falls slightly short of excellence. I can't quite put my finger on what stops it from achieving that status, but what I can say is that I highly recommend the film, and I don't even like country music. When it's done badly (and God knows that happens more often than not), it sounds like a twangy, mind-numbingly bad exploitation of people who think that the exaggerated Southern accents are truthful.
Check this one out- it may not be something that is studied or even watched years from now, but it is an enlightening journey with epic performances.
Rated R for language and brief sexuality.
Buy it here.
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