Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart is a wonderful new film written and directed by Scott Cooper. Although it is a low budget picture it is high budget in quality and the emotions that it evokes.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake. He is a washed up, alcoholic country star who is down on his luck and broke. His body is so lived in that it seems it was overrun by a steamroller. There are many closeups of Blake's weathered, beaten up face. And looking at him you know what he is feeling.

Blake has a protege named Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) who is now a big star. Blake taught Sweet everything he knows but now he is playing small joints. A bit of fresh air comes into Blake's life when he meets a reporter in Santa Fe named Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal). They start a relationship but you know it isn't going to be easy. Rather than tell you what else happens in the film I will just urge you to see it.

Cooper is a first time filmmaker and I say bravo to him. Farrell is terrific (but I wonder why he is not credited) as is Robert Duvall who shows up late in the film as Wayne, a friend of Blake's. Gyllenhaal gives such a fine performance that I find it hard to believe she has not gotten any awards buzz. I don't get it. And what can I say about Bridges. It is such a subtle, marvelous performance of a man on the edge. The film also has some great music with a soundtrack written by T Bone Burnett and the late Stephen Bruton. And then there is the award winning song The Weary Kind written by Burnett and Ryan Bingham.

As you can see from my previous post Bridges just won the SAG award. He has also won the Critics' Choice and Golden Globe awards. There are many outstanding performance by actors this year including George Clooney (who just keeps getting better), Colin Firth (who was outstanding and heartbreaking) and Viggo Mortensen (magnificent but I am afraid he will not even get a nomination) but on Oscar night I will be rooting for Jeff Bridges. Go, Jeff, Go!