The town I live in doesn’t often get limited run movies, so when I saw Crazy Heart was playing at the theater I jumped out and saw it… a week later. I’d heard many things about Crazy Heart, mostly that Jeff Bridges was really good and that it was like The Wrestler (a film I loved and would say is the best movie that came out in 2008). Well after seeing it I can say that my preconceptions were slightly off, Jeff Bridges is really, really good, and it’s kind of like the The Wrestler.
Crazy Heart tells the story of an old country singer called Bad Blake. He’s a hard drinkin’, heavy smokin’, rough and tumble kind of guy. He drives around in an old truck going from bowling alley to bar playing the same songs he’s been playing for years. Bad Blake does not seem happy. He never out right says it but you can tell he thinks he deserves more.
Personally I do as well, having never really been a fan of country music outside of Johnny Cash and the occasional Hank Williams Jr. tune, I was genuinely surprised to find I really loved the music in this movie, it’s old school country the kind of stuff that’s more Son House then Garth Brooks. It made me consider rethinking my stance on country music then this song came on the radio in my bathroom and that feeling was washed away. However, if someone were to buy me the soundtrack to Crazy Heart I would totally listen to it frequently. As a cool aside I was crazy surprised to learn that Colin Farrell (who, by the way, gives his best performance since Minority Report) did all his own singing in this movie.
Who knew this guy would help me appreciate country music more
Earlier I mentioned Johnny Cash which is fitting because Crazy Heart made me think of Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, and the T-1000. Let us take a moment so I may explain my feelings on biopics. I tend to enjoy them, however, I feel they are less interesting than a fictional story about the same and in the case of Crazy Heart and Walk the Line, I think Crazy Heart has made Walk the Line obsolete. We don’t need Walk the Line anymore, Crazy Heart is the superior story of a country singer’s redemption.
Oh yeah, and Robert Duvall is in Crazy Heart, and not in Walk the Line, which is another reason Crazy Heart is better. I’ve said it before and I’ll definitely say it again, Duvall is the greatest actor who ever lived, I’ve proven it with science, I could show you the formula but it’s impossible to understand unless you have been watching nothing but The Godfather and drinking nothing but Bawls energy drink.
Crazy Heart blew me away, this is expert storytelling in my opinion ( I guess I don’t have to say that because duh I’m critiquing a film of course it’s my opinion) and should probably be seen by every person over the age of 15. Also it seemed like old people really dug this flick my friends and I were the youngest people in the theater by like 20 years.
This guy probably loved Crazy Heart
Oh yeah and of the Best Actor nominees I have seen (being Clooney, Renner, and Bridges) I think Bridges should probably get the award. He’s pretty damn good.
Happygerbaloon's Take on Life 