Wednesday, December 24, 2009
PHOTOS |
COMING SOON|
EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES||HOME
Wednesday, December 24, 2009
MOVIE REVIEW
Crazy Heart
Enduring Through A Troubled Song Called Life
Marking time with a troubled tune:
Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake in Scott Cooper's "Crazy Heart".
Paramount Pictures
By Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
Wednesday, December 24, 2009
Jeff Bridges is excellent as Bad Blake in the drama "Crazy Heart", which expands
its release in the U.S. and Canada tomorrow. Mr. Bridges hasn't done
better work in his illustrious career, and first-time filmmaker Scott Cooper is
the beneficiary, for without Mr. Bridges' fine acting, "Crazy Heart" has a
pedestrian heartbeat.
Bad Blake is a washed-up alcoholic country music legend on the comeback trail.
He tours parts of the American West and still receives great respect from older
fans who witnessed his glory days. It's a new day now though, as Bad's
thunder has been stolen by his protégé Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), beloved and
exalted as country music's new number one star. Invited to play a gig at a
bowling alley, Bad is the subject of a small-town reporter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
looking to interview him for a story.
From here things become predictable, but not Mr. Bridges' acting. He
inhabits Bad Blake without vanity in an immersive physical performance and
doesn't fall prey to the clichés associated with this well-worn archetype.
You expect this drunken shell of a music lion to do the things drunks do but Mr.
Bridges (who sometimes looks like country star/actor Kris Kristofferson) doesn't
succumb to stereotype. He's nuance and intelligence, with timing that
enhances silences and pauses.
In one of 2009's best acting turns, Mr. Bridges effectuates a tender, sincere
portrait of a man struggling with his soul and a life he's all but given up on.
Unlike Nicolas Cage's 1996 Oscar-winning work as an alcoholic in "Leaving Las
Vegas" there's no extroversion here. In different moments Mr. Bridges,
bound for Oscar glory himself, lends a rugged charm, comedy and earnestness to
each interaction with a fellow actor. One example is a scene with Robert
Duvall on a boat. Mr. Duvall does most of the talking but watch the way
Mr. Bridges quietly carries the day. It's one of the film's best moments,
with the camera's gentle movement punctuating the moment beautifully.
Mr. Cooper for his part doesn't do badly in his maiden directing effort.
Scenes move quietly, even when melodrama is inserted to keep things going.
Barry Markowitz' cinematography captures rich color and expansive spaces,
perfectly fitting the slow pace of this story based on Thomas Cobb's same-titled
novel and written by the director. The original music by Stephen Bruton
and T-Bone Burnett also makes "Crazy Heart" a worthwhile experience. You
needn't be a country music fan to appreciate its modesty or rhythms.
With: James Keane, Jack Nation, James Keane, Tom Bower, Anna Felix, Paul Herman,
Beth Grant, Debrianna Mansini, Ryil Adamson, J. Micahel Oliva and David
Manzanares.
"Crazy Heart" is rated R by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for language and brief sexuality. The film's
running time is one hour and 51 minutes.
Read more movie reviews and stories from Omar
here.
PHOTOS |
COMING SOON|
EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES||HOME