Crazy Heart
Warnings: PS, ES
by Rachel
It seems like all the movies now a days are based on books. Crazy Heart is no different (the movie is based on a book of the same name by Thomas Cobb). However, I have a hard time imagining the book being any better than this movie. There’s something about books…no matter how good a writer is, anything revolving around music just translates better on screen. There’s so much emotion in the sound of a voice singing a good song that just can’t be captured in words.
Crazy Heart follows Bad Black on his journey to self discovery, addiction recovery and finally coming to peace with himself and his life. We first see a 57 year old man, living a hard life of traveling for no money, drinking way too much and not taking care of himself. He was a mentor to a musician who now plays to sold out arenas, while Black is stuck playing hole-in-the-wall bowling alleys.
While on the road he meets Jean, a reporter, and later comes to find himself in a relationship with her. Trying to find a balance between his life of drinking and singing and the new feelings he has for a woman and her child, Black finds himself on the wrong side of right when he loses her son while drunk in a mall. This is the point he makes a decision to get cleaned up. While he doesn’t get the girl in the end, he finds himself, writes some of his best music, and learns to forgive his past mistakes.
Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal were excellent. Jeff showed the ability to create a character that the audience can’t help but love, even as he’s falling on his ass drunk trying to get through a show. Maggie, well, she’s always been an amazing actress, showing such grace on the screen, this movie is no different. With supporting appearances by Colin Farrell (who knew an Irish boy could act and sing country) and Robert Duvall (the end all and be all cowboy in the movie business, in my opinion), the movie wonderfully portrays the pitfalls that can often come with a life in the music business.
One can’t talk about a music movie without discussing the music. From the opening scene with the raspy voice of Bridges sounding to a desert background to the sad and heartbreaking finale when we finally hear the theme song to the movie, the music captures the soul and pulls the viewer into the lives of the characters. I might be biased, as a huge music lover, especially of anything remotely blues/country and alt/country. Even if you are only remotely interested in this genre—see the movie.
Wonderful movie, I was extremely impressed.
5 boozing washed up country singers out of 5
