Drew's

Date Reviewed	1/22/2010
Title	Crazy Heart
Rating
Directed By :	Scott Cooper
Starring :	Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Rick Dial and Jack Nation
Review	Powerful country songs from the heart come from the experience of living including both ends of the spectrum, the joys from a connection and the misery of repeated mistakes. Jeff Bridges has the broken down lead as Bad Blake, an aging country act whose hard living has cost him his money, health and several marriages. Instead of enjoying retirement basking in the good life, Bad is stuck playing dive bars and bowling alleys to earn income. His lifestyle is starting to wear him out. There’s no posse; it’s just his guitar and a glass or bottle of something on the road. “Crazy Heart” is the story of an entertainer hitting close to rock bottom with a serious crippling addiction attempting to resurrect his life while maintaining relationships. Jeff Bridges’ character drinks himself to appear like Kris Kristofferson. Now that’s weathered! He’s like the Chicago Cubs, a loveable loser. He’ll boost your hopes up for the inevitable disappointment. I see plenty of “The Dude” from “The Big Lebowski” in Bad’s disposition. He didn’t fall too far from the previous role acting tree. Maggie Gyllenhaal co-stars as Jean Craddock, a reporter in Santé Fe and niece of the quick fingered piano player. Bad agrees to an interview and the two become smitten over time. Jean has a four year old son that plays a pivotal role in the story’s priorities. I wasn’t sure if I was going to buy their love affair since she is 32 and he is 60 in real life. They did a terrific job at making this feel credible. Jean appears mature for her age and Bad’s always going to be a “tunes man” with a celebrity aura. Colin Farrell contributes with amazement as Bad’s protégé, Tommy Sweet. He’s the guitarist/singer that benefitted from his schooling so the Bad one carries around some internal bitterness and weighted resentment. His demeanor is of a grateful student and his accent, knowing he’s heavily Irish, is spot on. He could pass for any of Tim McGraw’s relatives. Robert Duvall adds a smidgeon of veteran leadership as Wayne, the owner of the local bar where Bad plays when home. Their friendship is compassionate including moments of tough love. I am not a country music fan, however; the movie had me tapping me toes. It’s an infectious film with pretty much all enjoyable characters. A few scenes might actually warrant an empathetic teardrop to your sleeve. It’s “The Wrestler” for country legends with its parallels of life punishing a user through time only for one last honest shot at redemption. Only Colin Firth is capable of taking away Jeff Bridges’ Best Actor Oscar for 2009. “Crazy Heart” is a tender film with frayed edges surely to find your good side. “Crazy” lands in my top ten films for the year. Drew's Reviews, copyright 2010, Drewsmoviereviews.com, property of Drew Bean.