Crazy Heart: Starring Jeff Bridges

Crazy Heart was an eye opener primarily because of all the attention this film received during the 2010 Academy Awards ceremony. Like many, I too was glued to my television set to see who won which Oscars. I was expecting more from this movie than what was received when viewed. The Crazy Heart my husband and I viewed was a B-rated western-musical-drama that should not have made the list for consideration for any category Oscar. Granted Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paul Herman, and Jack Nation are accomplished as professional actors in their respective roles. My reasoning behind my opinion is the over used plot, one of the oldest in the entertainment industry. Crazy Heart has the "standard" old plot about an alcoholic and chain smoking singer who completely ruins his life, manages to some how sober up in Rehab and all by himself cleans his act up only to end up a "Lone Wolf". Snore, boring, all ready been done and re-done; not worth any Oscar in my book. Even the songs chosen for this movie were not great enough for Oscar nomination (but they manged to get that). There are more superior songs from well known Country artists like Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, Clint Black, Glen Campbell, Loretta Lynn, Toby Keith, and Dolly Parton. All in all, Crazy Heart was a disappointment to me.I expected better, alas, not delivered.

Crazy Heart is based on a novel with the same title authored by Thomas Cobb. The script was written by Scott Cooper, who directed this 2009 released film. The music was composed by T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton and Ryan Bingham (who has a role in Crazy Heart as the lead singer for Bad Blake's back up band Tony and the Renegades) with the assistance of other Country Music professionals. Crazy Heart was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Galisto, New Mexico, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California.

The primary cast were (in order given by credits): Jeff Bridges (Bad Blake, the down and out 57 year old alcoholic chain-smoking Country singer), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jean Craddock, the Santa Fe newspaper reporter who was a mother to a four year old and love interest of Bad Blake), Jack Nation (Buddy, four year old son to Jean Craddock), Colin Farrell (Tommy Sweet, the Country Singer who made it big and regarded Bad Blake as a mentor), Robert Duvall (Wayne Kramer, Bad Blake's closest long-term friend who helped him into Rehab), Paul Herman (Jack Greene, Bad Blake's agent), Beth Grant (JoAnne, Bad Blake's date from the Bowling Alley gig in New Mexico), Tom Bower (Bill Wilson), James Keane (the Bowling Alley in New Mexico's Manager who booked Bad Blake and his back-up band), and Rick Dial (Wesley Barnes, Jean Craddock's uncle and the expert piano player from Santa Fe, New Mexico).

Crazy Heart is rated R and 1 hour 51 minutes in length. This is not a family film; subject material is very adult including some gross scenes. My personal recommendation is not to waste your or any other person's precious time on Crazy Heart . If you want to see Jeff Bridges in some great roles that display his superb acting talent, recommend viewing Tron (1982), Against All Odds (1984), Starman (1984) which is the one he should have won the Oscar for Best Actor, and Seabiscuit (2003).

Enjoy!