"Crazy Heart" based on the novel by Thomas Cobb, is a simple story of a musician who's run his life into the ground and just wants to have his moment to shine again. When he meets a woman who makes him feel young & like life is worth living again, his self destructive ways get the best of him & the relationship.
First time Director/Writer Scott Cooper does an extraordinary job of telling this story. There are no pyrotechnics, there is no flashy style to this film, there is nothing but characters that you turn yourself over to which I find to be an amazing accomplishment.
Film making now has turned into one giant commercial. Most of the time the editors have to chop a film to shit just to get a performance out of some people on screen. We as a society continue to settle for shitty films and I for one am elated that Fox Searchlight picked this film up and wants to put it out to the masses.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a beacon on the screen. She truly is an actor with immense understanding of character. She glows in scenes with Jeff Bridges and together they take you on a journey of love, compromise and knowing when to let go.
Jeff Bridges has never been more likable in a film for me. He plays Bad Blake, a simple country singer with a fancy for the bottle and the ladies on the road. He's lived a long life of a country star and at the point we meet him, his life is spent playing small dives across the heartland just to get by. Bridges does an amazing job with bring Blake to life. His singing & guitar playing are spot on and I actually wouldn't mind owning the soundtrack.
The cast rounds out with Robert Duvall, as Bad Blake's close friend, Colin Farrell as a popular country singer that got his start with Blake, and a great cameo by the amazing Beth Grant.
The film keeps terrific pace and you truly feel like you're a part of the story and the amazing New Mexico and Texas landscapes. I am sure that Bridges will garner some nominations this Awards season. I just hope the academy does not over look Cooper's writing & Gyllenhaal's performance.
"Crazy Heart" opens December 16th (limited)
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