A Man’s Song

And I’m back with more reviews, just like that.

It’s been a while since I last posted a review…I’ve been absent in that regard, but here I are again, out of left field in a way, which is appropriate since that’s how Crazy Heart came out – no one was expecting it.

The Jeff Bridges vehicle was supposed to come out in the spring, I’m fairly certain, but it got rushed out late last year so it could qualify for some awards love.

Although I bet the company line is far less cynical than that.

A good thing, too, anyway, since Bridges is stunning in it, and, indeed, awards-worthy. He’s already gotten a bunch of critical kudos, as well as the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor, and he’s a lock to receive an Oscar nomination next week.

The beloved actor plays Bad Blake, a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many women, and even more years of bad living, boozing and smoking and working the road. When we meet him he’s at a fork, y’ know. He hasn’t written a song in years, he’s over touring, and he’s teetering on the edge.

And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with all his might when he meets a reporter named Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

She’s interested in getting to know the man behind the legend – Bad, y’ see, used to be quite famous, but now he does two-bits gigs to which he drives himself, and is on the outs with a younger and fresher rising star played Colin Farrell.

Jean helps him rediscover the man he is. They genuinely fall for each other. She’s his inspiration, but he’s her worst nightmare (a single mother to an adorable boy, she’s weary of their relationship).

As Bad struggles down the long, oft-unforgiven road toward redemption, he learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.

This isn’t the bestest of movies – I know we’ve seen better-told stories on the silver screen before, although not quite so beautifully soundtracked (thanks to T-Bone Burnett’s original songs).

But Bridges is sooo good in Crazy Heart, so unglamorous, and, more importantly, so powerfully moving, it is easy to overlook any of the movie’s faults, which include, at times, a lack of engaging of the audience. (I caught a few zzzs during a couple of scenes there.)

But Bridges, man.... He’s the heart of Crazy Heart. And it’s a pleasure to see him beat.

My Rating ***

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.