Crazy Heart

Drunk and down on his luck singer-songwriter meets a good woman and starts to turn his life around. Yes, I know we've seen this story before. There's nothing new or cutting edge about it. However, I enjoyed the performances of Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal very much, the songs and the southwestern scenery.

Jeff Bridges stars as "Bad" Blake, a aging country-western singer-songwriter who travels from one low rent gig to another in his beat up old Chevy Suburban. He's alcoholic, he smokes too much, he's in bad shape and doesn't write anymore. He has a chip on his shoulder from a falling out he's had with Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) his former sideman who has now made the big time. His only goal seems to be to find a way to get to the next bottle.

Then he meets Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) a divorced writer in Santa Fe who want to profile him in a magazine article. "Bad" wants to profile her in his bedroom. Or in the back of his Suburban. Or just about anywhere (hey, she's Maggie Gyllenhaal!).

A romance develops between the 59 year old Blake (Bridges is actually 60) and the 32 year old Craddock. He meets the love of her life, her son Buddy, played by the very unannoying Jack Nation in his acting debut. Then he gets an invite to open for Tommy Sweet in Phoenix. He reluctantly takes the gig, knowing it will be good for his career, but promises to see Craddock again.

An accident brings the two even closer together and back in his home in Houston Blake starts writing again. He is encouraged by his old friend Wayne (Robert Duvall). Things are going well and he begs Jean to come down and see him in Houston and to bring Buddy with her.  But that's when things suddenly get complicated and the story takes a hard turn.

Based on a novel by Thomas Cobb

Written and Directed by Scott Cooper

Music by T. Bone Burnett

The songs are written by T Bone Burnett and sung by Bridges himself. Bridges does a nice job on the songs while channeling a character that will remind one of a meld of Kris Kristoferson, Hank Williams Jr. and Willie Nelson. "Bad" tends to take things slow and easy and so does the film. There's no sense of rush in Scott Cooper's direction. He takes his time to let the story meander along. I can't say its great, but good enough to keep me interested. I particularly liked the southwest scenery and the sense of tension and dread in one key scene with Buddy. However I did feel Maggie Gyllenhaal could have spent a lot more time undressed. But I guess she's hoping for a Oscar nomination and other than Halle Berry, Oscar doesn't like too many nude scenes (he told me this himself).

Maggie's actually pretty good in this though you wonder a little why she falls so quickly for a drunk, out of shape has been like "Bad". She's certainly hot enough to have her choice of Santa Fe men (or other drunk out of shape has been singers traveling through town).

The best thing Bridges has going for him is his screen likeability. I don't know anybody who doesn't like Jeff Bridges (except maybe Kris Kristopherson for beating him out for this role). He's convincing as a drunk and as a singer he doesn't sound too bad. Duvall is a welcome sight, but his role is very limited.

I had a little trouble buying Bridges in his reawakening as a songwriter, and it seems like Cooper could have played up the drama and heartache of the film's pivotal moments more, but at least he didn't provide us with a pat Hollywood ending (or a nasty slasher movie ending for that matter--for a moment I did have that fear).

For people who thought the piano player in Santa Fe was played by country music legend Hargus "Pig" Robbins, I have to report the part was actually played by Rick Dial, who apprently is a friend of Robert Duvall. This is his fourth movie with Duvall. He also is the voice of the Malvern Leopards in Arkansas.