Plot summary of Crazy Heart from fandango.com:A worn-down country singer and a burgeoning journalist form an unusual bond in this drama adapted from the novel by Thomas Cobb. His spirit broken by multiple failed marriages, too much time on the road, and too many nights with the bottle, Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) had started to feel like he was headed down the path of no return. When probing young writer Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) digs deep enough to unearth the broken man behind the legend, however, Bad realizes that redemption may not be such a long shot after all. Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell co-star.
Kinsey and I saw Crazy Heart the same day as we saw The White Ribbon and the two films couldn't be more different. The latter is a film that leaves you unsatisfied and contemplating the scenarios long after its over, while the former brings you along for the ride and drops you off at the end, done deal. It all depends on whether or not you liked the journey. Maybe I was just in an analytical mood, but the ride wasn't enough for me.
Now, there is plenty to like about this film. Jeff Bridges gives an admirable performance, though not his best (and definitely not the stone-cold lock for Oscar which seems to be the case). There is some wonderful old-timey country music and a charming supporting turn from the great Robert Duvall. But this story isn't something that hasn't been done a hundred times before. Down-on-his-luck drunk finds redemption isn't exactly the most original thing in the world.
And I don't know if its just me, but the story seemed to force the viewer to laugh at Bridges' character, Bad Blake. Not with him, at him. At times, it portrayed him as a fool, when the protagonist of this story should be a sympathetic figure. Crazy Heart is like a poor man's The Wrestler.
A major flaw was events seemed o happened simply to move the story along, not because it made sense for them to happen. Jean fell for Bad because the film needed romance, Bad lost Jean's kid because he needed a reason to get sober, Bad was a drunk because he was a musician. The perfect illustration of this was a scene where Bad needed to contact Jean on the road. So, of course, he pulls over to a phone booth... in the middle of the prairie! Nothing around but a phone booth.
So overall a decent film, but pretty unoriginal and, when you come down to it, forgettable.
Kinsey and I saw Crazy Heart the same day as we saw The White Ribbon and the two films couldn't be more different. The latter is a film that leaves you unsatisfied and contemplating the scenarios long after its over, while the former brings you along for the ride and drops you off at the end, done deal. It all depends on whether or not you liked the journey. Maybe I was just in an analytical mood, but the ride wasn't enough for me.
Now, there is plenty to like about this film. Jeff Bridges gives an admirable performance, though not his best (and definitely not the stone-cold lock for Oscar which seems to be the case). There is some wonderful old-timey country music and a charming supporting turn from the great Robert Duvall. But this story isn't something that hasn't been done a hundred times before. Down-on-his-luck drunk finds redemption isn't exactly the most original thing in the world.
And I don't know if its just me, but the story seemed to force the viewer to laugh at Bridges' character, Bad Blake. Not with him, at him. At times, it portrayed him as a fool, when the protagonist of this story should be a sympathetic figure. Crazy Heart is like a poor man's The Wrestler.
A major flaw was events seemed o happened simply to move the story along, not because it made sense for them to happen. Jean fell for Bad because the film needed romance, Bad lost Jean's kid because he needed a reason to get sober, Bad was a drunk because he was a musician. The perfect illustration of this was a scene where Bad needed to contact Jean on the road. So, of course, he pulls over to a phone booth... in the middle of the prairie! Nothing around but a phone booth.
So overall a decent film, but pretty unoriginal and, when you come down to it, forgettable.
Kinsey: 3.5/5 stars
Wade: 2.5/5 stars
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