What an affecting film. Worth watching twice, trust me. It has an interesting backstory, too. Originally intended for a direct-to-video release, before Fox Searchlight gave it a shot at theatrical release. Hard to believe a movie with Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall would go direct-to-video. It’s the stuff the movie business eats up! It’s a music biopic! Remember Walk the Line and Ray?
Better than either of those movies, Crazy Heart doesn’t bite off more than it can chew. We don’t get Bad Blake’s life story; rather, we see him in his twilight years, fall down drunk and at the end of his rope. His songs are proof that he once had a career worth talking about. He’s Haggard and Jennings and Kristofferson and it’s amazing to watch unravel. Shame that Bridges won the Oscar for a composite character, but he channels the Outlaw ethos so perfectly.
The music’s not half bad either, and I have historically hated anything T‑Bone Burnett touches.