My girlfriend (who didn’t like this film) put it best when she asked me, “So this is basically ‘The Wrestler?’” And I found I couldn’t say, “No. It’s not.” Instead, I just replied, “Be quiet.”
“Crazy Heart” is just like “The Wrestler” with better music but ultimately not as good. The music really shocked me though. Most movies having anything to do with a musician have terrible, TERRIBLE songs. This movie had songs that really embodied true American old-school country. In fact, they were so country that I found it hard to believe that the super-star character Tommy Sweets would have found fame on contemporary country radio. That kind of music is not what is called country today. That was addressed briefly in the movie but I think that the film’s songwriter, Ryan Bingham, just doesn’t have a pop song with steel guitar in him.
Moving on, the cinematography is great. The southwest looks amazing. Also, I love the way the actor’s faces are shot and lit. “Crazy Heart” is definitely a movie that is nice to look at.
Every actor in this movie turns out a great performance too. Jeff Bridges is everything that the hype said. He may not turn in a performance that is high octane and super emotive, but he’s just so real. Sometimes, it’s not so much what a performance a role elicits from an actor; it’s what that performance elicits from the viewer. That, I think, is the essence of Jeff Bridges’ Bad Blake.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell give great supporting performances too. They do their jobs well, but neither one bowled me over. However, Robert Duvall seemed to steal the show during his few scenes. I love Duvall. Every movie should have Robert Duvall in it. End of story.
All in all, a good show. I saw better last year. I saw worse.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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