Crazy Heart (2009)

[A Boy Named Seo]

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, a broke, alcoholic country singer down on his luck (do I even need to say that??) who meets a cute, young chick and tries to get his shit together. Maggie Gyllenhaal is said cute, young chick.

Colin Farrell stars at the handsome, accessible-to-the-masses, nu-country star that Blake has to swallow his pride and open for. Robert Duvall plays Bad Blake's long-time buddy.

Pretty good story. Bridges and Farrell do their own singing (and for sure Bridges plays, too, but I couldn't tell if Farrell did, as well). Bridges' performance was just awesome and reminded me a lot of Kris Kristofferson and I could see some Waylon in there, too.

Shot in my homeland of Santa Fe, New Mexico so the scenery's real purty (don't be fooled, though, Jeff's "Houston, Texas" home in the movie is my aunt's office in Santa Fe).

Dug it.

[Guest themetfairy]

I thought it was good but not great, but with superlative performances. Kind of like this year's "The Wrestler."

I appreciated that it didn't pander to the audience, and that the kid was cute without being cutesy (i.e., like Dakota Fanning).

A solid story that was well told.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

themetfairy wrote: I thought it was good but not great, but with superlative performances. Kind of like this year's "The Wrestler." I appreciated that it didn't pander to the audience, and that the kid was cute without being cutesy (i.e., like Dakota Fanning). A solid story that was well told.

This, exactly. Great characters and actors, in search of a richer story. Music's great, though. (Kudos, Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.)

That they kinda montaged over rehab felt a little like a cheat, didn't it?

[Guest themetfairy]

I'd rather gloss over the rehab than have it be done poorly. But I agree that it was a pretty sudden transformation.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Well, yeah, you don't want a crappy, sitcom resolution there. But it's not like the exes, mentioned in passing... drink is central for the guy, almost a part of him; he also wrestles with talking about himself throughout the movie. That they didn't spend some time dealing with that-- or depicting it in a meaningful manner-- is a pretty big flaw, methinks. There's more Gyllenhaal-crying in the movie than there is explanation of that essential character change.

Also, I could've gone for a little more of the Duvall-Bridges interaction (or even the Farrell one; I liked that Farrell played it like he was always avoiding direct eye contact with the guy); THAT relationship interests me more than the Gyllenhaal romance.

[Guest themetfairy]

Agreed.

This is why Crazy Heart is up for acting and music awards and not Best Picture or Best Screenplay.

[Edgy MD]

It's been a long time since I actually got the idea that I could smell the funk coming off the lead actor in a film I was watching. And most of those past cases have been Nick Nolte films.

A Boy Named Seo wrote: (don't be fooled, though, Jeff's "Houston, Texas" home in the movie is my aunt's office in Santa Fe).

'Splain.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Nothing much to it. My aunt works in an office that's a renovated house in old town Santa Fe. Not sure how they picked the location, but they took the office over and made it Bad Blake's Houston house. My sweet aunt loved way too much to tell peeps about chatting away with "Jeff" and "Robert" every day.

"Robert?"

"Oh, you know, Robert Duvall."

"Right, of course. Robert Duvall."

[metirish]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Also, I could've gone for a little more of the Duvall-Bridges interaction (or even the Farrell one; I liked that Farrell played it like he was always avoiding direct eye contact with the guy); THAT relationship interests me more than the Gyllenhaal romance.

This , man I was watching and wondering if all of that was left on the cutting room floor.....I thought it was OK, nothing special and felt like others it reminded me of The Wrestler but not nearly as good IMO.