THE STORY – With too many years of hazy days and boozy nights, former country-music legend Bad Blake is reduced to playing dives and bowling alleys. In town for his latest gig, Blake meets Jean Craddock, a sympathetic reporter who has come to do a story on him. He unexpectedly warms to her and a romance begins, then the singer finds himself at a crossroads that may threaten his last shot at happiness.
THE CAST – Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall & Colin Farrell
THE TEAM – Scott Cooper (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 112 Minutes
It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that “Crazy Heart” came out sixteen years ago. Talk about a film that has been one of many forgotten Oscar-bait dramas from the 2000s that has since faded away with time, like the film’s protagonist. I was never a fan myself, and I never itched to rewatch it as it felt very much like a product of the time it was made in, so color me surprised that all these years later, I would be loading it up again for this retrospective review. This time, though, while my overall thoughts on “Crazy Heart” remain relatively the same, there was a newfound appreciation for Scott Cooper’s feature directorial debut that didn’t exist back when it was released.
We find ourselves following Country music star Otis “Bad” Blake (played by Jeff Bridges), who is now far away from the illustrious limelight that once shone over him. The washed-up musician spends his days drinking through the mornings and playing small venues at night. Like his health, Bad’s stalling career is wasting away as he’s seemingly lost the inspiration to write new music and has little money to his name. That is until he meets a young journalist and single mom named Jean Craddock (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal), whose newfound relationship instills something he’s been missing from his life. Despite this fresh wave of happiness, Bad has to confront the mistakes of his past and present if he is to have a future where not only his career thrives but with love for Jean as well.
Even without watching the film for years, the inherent framework of “Crazy Heart’s” story is nothing new. Cooper’s examination of an artist attempting to pick himself up as he’s falling apart is far stronger than any type of criticism towards the current state of country music as a whole (which the book from “Crazy Heart” is adapted from goes deeper into). If there’s one aspect of “Crazy Heart” that has managed to retain any sliver of space in the minds of audiences since it came out, it’s undoubtedly Bridges’s performance, which not only earned him an overdue Academy Award for Best Actor but also displays the innate reliability that he has always had as a performer. Despite his overtly sloven nature, bridges still manages to imbue his signature charm to help “Bad” be presentable in any situation. There’s a pain suppressed deep behind the booze and packs of cigarettes that Bridge can effortlessly sell the audiences. It’s also what makes his chemistry with Gyllenhaal so good despite her incredibly one-dimensional character. She does her best with what little she has, but they are at their best whenever the two share the screen.
There was also more love this time for the supporting ensemble, most of which felt necessary in helping to build a textured nature to “Crazy Heart,” Whether it’s Paul Herman as a persistent manager or one of many working actors that pop up to help sell an authenticity of Bud’s superstardom in the confines of this film. Even other stars that appear throughout the film, such as Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell (both playing starkly opposing presences in Bad’s Life), have far more restraint than in most of their other work. As a whole, these performances elevate the inherent conventionalist nature of “Crazy Heart” that is more than apparent for films like it. Barry Markowitz’s cinematography has far more lasting power than most people will give him credit for. It’s wild how even small studio productions not even a couple of decades ago look far better than a majority of what’s being produced today. The beautiful scenery of the highways in the American South is captured with such a rich crispness as the images leave far more of an impact than the film’s story itself. The songs are also quite memorable, considering the ridiculous amount of talent that went into writing most of the film’s soundtrack, earning it the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “The Weary Kind,” a one-of-a-kind, soulful track that gives the film its heart and identity.
What’s funny is that by the time “Crazy Heart” wraps up (maybe a little too neatly), two things come to mind: The first thing is Bridges’ overdue win for Best Actor would be immediately upstaged the following year with a nomination for a performance in a far more memorable film, the Coen Brothers reimagining of “True Grit” (which far exceeds the 1969 original). There is even an argument to be made that his work in 2017’s “Hell or High Water” is also better. This happens to many actors whose overdue narrative leads them to win with a far more digestible performance that allows them to receive their Academy Award, only to turn in far more interesting work afterward. The second thought is that the year in which this review is written is also Cooper’s return to a music-based drama. This time, instead of fictional characters, it’s about a period in the life of Bruce Springsteen. Time really is cyclical, but if “Deliver Me From Nowhere” is anywhere as good-looking or showcases great performances as “Crazy Heart,” then it’s safe to say we’re in warm, comforting hands.
