Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009): USA

Reviewed by Jonas Pedersen Hardebrant. Viewed at Lobero Theatre at Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

In Crazy Heart we are observers of how a former musician and artist Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) can feel so lonely and worn out, despite his fame and former status as a nationally well-known country singer.  When we encounter Bad Blake he is in a decline where cigarettes, alcohol and overall bad health is visible for everyone except for himself. As present has turn to imperfect in his career, he is poor and has to perform at small pubs and bars instead of the big audiences as he once had. Even though he is a “has been”, women are still approaching him with sexual interest, but it isn’t until he meets a young reporter called Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) that his feelings for something bigger than a sexual relation evolves. The young reporter responds his feelings and everything is seemingly good until she starts to put pressure on him with the alcohol and smoking. In an attempt to mixture his drinking with Jeans wishes to become a somewhat family something goes wrong, that will have serious consequences…

The plot is very clear and I can absolutely see how people are attracted to this movie from its content. All the ingredients are there, happiness, anger, regret, sadness and so on, but there is just something about this movie that makes it so flat. There are ups and downs and moments when you feel joy and sadness, but the most powerful moments aren’t there. And when you watch a drama what you look for are these powerful moments, when it feels like you are either high on a drug or like you just got kicked in the face, I felt neither. It might be so that I’m not the target audience for this movie but I believe that would be the same with movies like for instance The Wrestler, which I enjoyed very much seeing.

In both of these movies you have 2 middle age men who are former stars that are now legends with scars and bruises, maybe not so much physically as psychologically. Even though both of them are still in the business they are “has beens” and in a decline.  They find women to whom they want to be with, but of course with complications.

So, then what is it that makes The Wrestler so much better than Crazy Heart? First of all Jeff Bridges is doing some well acting but nowhere near as good as how Mickey Rourke portrays The Wrestler. Second we have the overall story, which in The Wrestler makes us wonder what is going to happen next, but as in Crazy Heart we already know after about 15 minutes into the movie.  In the Wrestler there are feelings that we understand why and how it feels that way, in Crazy Heart it is platonic and sometimes even stupid to watch how they try to force out something out of nothing.

What is important to mention is that both male actors were nominated for the Academy Awards. Rourke didn’t get it, and hopefully the Academy won’t give it to Bridges either, because it will be a comfort price to the wrong person. No give it to Colin Firth for A Single Man, a single man like Bad Blake, but with emotions, heartbreaks and personality that goes in to our hearts and not just stays on the screen.

About this entry

You’re currently reading “Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009): USA,” an entry on Student Film Reviews

Published:
02.22.10 / 7pm
Category:
Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2010