Review: Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart

OPENING: Limited Release

STUDIO: Fox Searchlight

RUN TIME: 112 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
The harder the life, the sweeter the song.

Opening Statement
Crazy Heart is a simple, straightforward story without a lot of surprises. It’s the sort of story we’ve seen before, but told in such a tender and thoughtful manner it somehow manages to completely transcend the conventions of its structure.

Facts of the Case
Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski) plays Bad Blake, a 57-year-old country singer whose glory days are far behind him. Once upon a time, Bad was a pretty big star, but alcoholism and poor decision-making have left him in a rough state. These days, he does what he can to get by, playing unimpressive venues like bars and bowling alleys. One day, a reporter named Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger Than Fiction) drops by Bad’s hotel room to conduct an interview. The two hit it off and Maggie ends up spending the night. She thinks it’s just a one-night stand, but Bad finds himself emotionally attached. He wants to get to know Maggie better, and spend time getting to know her 4-year-old son. Maggie likes Bad, but knows he’s a mess and might be beyond redemption. Meanwhile, Bad’s ultra-popular protege, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell, In Bruges), attempts to help his old mentor re-enter the music world.

The Evidence
Bad Blake may be a fictional character, but his story certainly has more than a ring of truth to it. Plenty of celebrities have been in Bad’s shoes. Once famous, they wasted opportunities in the spotlight and will take whatever they can to cover the rent and their addiction of choice. Bad is the sort of guy country music singers tend to sing about: his wife done left, he ain’t got many friends, just a beat-up truck and a near-empty bottle. There are more than a few echoes of The Wrestler‘s "Randy the Ram" in Bad.

In that film, Mickey Rourke played a character which seemed a logical choice for the actor. To a degree, Randy was a variation on Rourke’s own life. In Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges turns in a performance every bit as moving and convincing, though I imagine there’s very little of the real-life Bridges to be found in this character. I’m glad Jeff is finally getting some attention for his performance, because he has been a tremendously under-appreciated actor over the course of his career. Jeff has a way of fully inhabiting the characters he plays, and within the first few minutes of Crazy Heart we completely forget that he was Starman, The Dude, and Obadiah Stane. I stopped seeing the actor and started seeing Bad Blake. It’s not a flashy performance. Jeff doesn’t have any of those award-bait moments in which he shouts out an impassioned monologue. He just makes creating a fully-realized, lived-in character seem deceptively easy.

The screenplay, written by director Scott Cooper (based on the novel by Thomas Cobb), is similarly impressive in an understated way, quietly slipping in sincere and truthful dialogue. The lines are so natural and underplayed, it may take a while to realize just how truly magnificent they are. There’s a moment when Jean asks Bad what he wants to talk about in the interview. "I want to talk about how bad you make this room look," he sighs wearily. These exchanges were undoubtedly constructed with precision and care, but the ensemble makes all of them feel organic.

Speaking of which, praise deserves to be showered on the supporting cast. Maggie Gyllenhaal is one of the most reliably engaging actresses of her generation, nailing the complicated blend of protectiveness she feels for her son and affection she feels towards Bad. Her quiet moments with Bridges are some of the strongest scenes in the film. Robert Duvall (who starred in the very similar Tender Mercies back in 1983) is excellent as one of Bad’s few remaining friends, while Colin Farrell proves surprisingly convincing as a country megastar who has a very complicated relationship with Bad. The protege has eclipsed the mentor, and Farrell successfully captures the awkward sense of guilt that comes with it.

I’m not really a fan of country music, but the songs in Crazy Heart (written by T. Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton) are nothing short of excellent. They’re as quietly profound as the screenplay, offering genuinely affecting lyrics and memorably bittersweet melodies. The music ebbs and flows through the film, wrapping itself around the story and deeply enriching it. I expect a higher percentage of the audience will sit through the credits than usual, just to hear some of these tunes again. Bridges and Farrell both perform their numbers and do a genuinely impressive job, vastly better than the majority of what’s passing for country music these days.

Closing Statement
Crazy Heart is one of the great films of 2009, a quiet, beautiful story featuring a genuinely remarkable performance and excellent music. If you fail to see it, you are robbing yourself of a tremendously rewarding experience. Highly recommended.

The Verdict
10/10

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