CRAZY HEART (2009)

Jeff Bridges' turn as Bad Blake, washed out, alcoholic country singer was the one that finally got him his Oscar. He'd been nominated before of course, once as leading man for Starman in 1984 and three other occasions for supporting roles, but this was the one that got him his little statuette. Critics and punters alike raved about him and the film when it was out, but I never got around to seeing it. As a Bridges fan, I should have ventured to a multiplex, and let's be honest if I really wanted to see it, I would have made the time, but for some reason it didn't scream out at me as a film I couldn't miss.

Months later, long after the hype had subsided and Bridge's victory speech was but a distant memory, the DVD came through the post from Lovefilm, and that night my girlfriend and I watched it, knowing that we were about to see an acclaimed and celebrated piece of cinema.



Whatever that nagging feeling was all those months ago, chipping away at me, suggesting that Crazy Heart might not be all it's cracked up to be, must be related to Mystic Meg, because come the end credits, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. And I wasn't the only one either, the girlfriend had the same empty, nonplussed feeling..

It may be down to the hype and constant praise and that it would never be able to live up to that level of hoopla, but I was oddly detached from the whole thing. The film itself felt very safe. The direction was not particularly adventurous, solid enough with the occasional beautiful scene of dusty American country, but to me, I could tell it's the work of a first time director (Scott Cooper) perhaps more concerned with not wanting to put a foot wrong than anything else. Also, for a film about an alcoholic, and one we're not meant to sympathise with for some of the story, it just isn't edgy enough. It smacked a little of a TV movie, alluding to grown up and disturbing themes rather than portraying them and predictable, never once straying from what I expected.

Another thing I wasn't particularly impressed with was Bridges' performance. He was good, but then he is good in everything he does, he just didn't WOW me. It was a very monotone performance, not in a dull way, it just felt like a constant tone. Blake's character doesn't call for a Pacino type shouting and arm-waving, but to me Bridges was at the same emotional level no matter what Blake's state. I'm not arguing with Bridges' idea on how the character should be pitched, I just believe that they way he chose to do it built a barrier between me and the film. Perhaps he was trying to build barriers with the other characters, I'm not sure, it just didn't work for me. I think back to other Bridges films and I can't help but feel he has been better elsewhere. If you ask me he was better in Arlington Road than in this. I saw this in the same week as I saw The King's Speech and 127 Hours and it's telling just how little Bridges' did for me in comparison to Franco, Firth and Rush.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was also nominated (best supporting actress) for her role as Jean Craddock, Blake's love interest. I was much more impressed with her, but it brings me to another problem with the film. The central relationship. I just didn't believe in it. I wasn't sure how she could fall for this past it country singer who can't stay sober. If i can't get past that, the whole thing is going to be an uphill struggle.

Colin Farrell turns up unexpectedly as Tommy Sweet, Blake's younger more successful rival. He is decent, but the role seems pointless. He pops in, it seems as though he might be integral to the plot, then disappears completely, before showing his face at the end but with no real purpose. Nice to see Robert Duvall too, all be it very underused.

The soundtrack is sublime though. Bridges and Farrell both singing their own songs, some of the music was utterly enchanting and, at times, heartbreakingly melancholic and has stayed with me long after watching it. That'll be a definite purchase.

So it's decent, but nothing more than that. It feels worse than it actually is though because it fell so far from the heady heights of all the hype that surrounded it.

Summed up best by a mate of mine - 'The Wrestler with country music'.