Crazy Heart (2009)
Crazy Heart is a smooth ride through the tail end career of country music legend, Bad Blake. The character of Bad Blake transcends cliche due to the tremendous acting ability of Jeff Bridges, who's career reads as a monument to the craft with such films as The Fisher King, The Big Lebowski, and my favorite, the Fabulous Baker Boys.
It is in Bad Blake that we see Bridges at his most vulnerable and heartfelt. Bad Blake seems like someone you could genuinely like, someone you could even admire. It's obvious that many do, as he goes from town to town and is constantly recognized and praised for his musical career. And while Blake does have moments where he displays true signs of gratefulness and appreciation of his fans (usually resulting in free booze and quick women), it is obvious that a deep rooted pain prevents him from completely enjoying his celebrity status.
The film opens with Bad getting ready to perform a gig in an empty bowling alley. This is an obvious departure from the sold out arenas we assume he played in his glory days, and yet here he is. It is also here that we are introduced to the tumultuous relationship Blake shares with his unnamed manager. In the beginning of the film, Blake's conversations with the manager usually end in a slew of hateful words and judging from the small town bowling alley, it's easy to understand Blake's disappointment. However, as the film progresses it becomes clear to the audience that the manager is not necessarily to blame for Blake's current career path.
The meat of the film begins when a bubbly, small town reporter by the name of Jean Craddock is granted an interview with Blake. Jean is played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in what is absolutely the best role I have seen her in. Again, this character could have been easily reduced to cliche if it were not for the subtlety and compassion Gyllenhaal is able to give her role. This understated style of acting is what pushes an indie film like this through obscurity and into acclaim, creating an atmosphere where we as the audience are able to watch without judgment or distraction.
Blake is immediately struck by Jean's beauty, but it is not obvious that she feels the same way. She asks questions that go beyond the music industry and into personal regions of Blake's heart which he is quick to combat, ending the interview early but promising her a second chance after his next show. The second interview happens (over a few drinks) and a part of Blake we had not been privy to as of yet begins to shine. The audience falls in love with him and it becomes apparent that Jean does as well.
Despite this, Blake is still Bad and his tour must continue, as well as his drinking and self deprecation. Can a good woman truly save a bad man? It's a question that many films attempt to answer, yet Crazy Heart manages to embrace this inquiry from a more delicate angle than most. Should Jean, who has a young child of her own, risk her heart on a traveling soul who seems to love her and dislike himself in the same breath? Blake seeks redemption and the film chronicles this search in a way that engages audiences despite the lack of explosions, car chases, and gratuitous sex scenes.
Surprise appearances from Robert Duvall as Blake's long time friend and Collin Ferrall as Blake's one time apprentice and band mate create a world in which Bad Blake lives and breathes. The music, penned by T Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton, float through the film effortlessly and never seems forced or fraudulent. This is important as there are many scenes in which Blake performs. If these scenes fail, then the entire atmosphere that is Crazy Heart would be destroyed. Luckily for us, they do not, and I feel this film handles it's music much better than the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line.
Crazy Heart is seamless and goes down like silk. The film succeeds as a small gem among Hollywood giants. It does push certain emotional buttons that will no doubt warrant an obvious response from it's audience, but it does so with subtlety and texture. It handles these moments with tenderness, love and joy. It is these ingredients that will hopefully keep people talking about the film for many years to come.
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