I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a movie before and this certainly isn’t a ‘movie’ site, but Crazy Heart warrants exception. For those who haven’t heard about Crazy Heart, it stars Jeff Bridges as an aging Texas songwriter plagued by alcohol problems and a flagging career (plenty of inspiration there). I’ll do my best not to drop any spoilers, but if you are the kind of person who hates such things I would suggest holding off on the rest of the review.
Bridges has already won a Golden Globe for his acting in this one, and it’s easy to see why. I don’t know exactly which songwriters he used as inspiration, but I saw shades of Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Townes Van Zandt, and Waylon Jennings (the latter two appear on the soundtrack).  My favorite moments come when he is a) talking to his manager from the road, b) interacting with protégé turned superstar Bobby Sweet (Colin Farrell), and c) any scene in a music venue. Which brings me to what I think is the biggest success of the film, it really captures the humanity (or lack thereof at times) of the dingy dive bars, stadium concerts, and all the bowling alley gigs in between. It gives, I think, a better sense of what being a touring musician might really be like.
However, the film is more than just a music movie. It’s about an odd little romance between Bad Blake and a single mom- newspaper reporter, played by Maggie Gyllenhall. It’s about Bad being bad. It’s about Bad being good. It’s about Bad being an alcoholic. It’s about how he can sometimes do all three things at once, just like Bad Blake’s big single says “it’s funny how falling feels like flying for a little while.† Though certainly not a comedy, it’s also quite funny.  For instance Bad Blake’s solution to bladder control and his initial meeting with Gyllenhaal are hilarious.
The soundtrack is of course exquisite with T-Bone Burnett continuing his streak of excellence (O Brother Where Art Thou, Walk the Line). Burnett and Ryan Bingham won a Golden Globe for best original song for the theme song “The Weary Kindâ€. Bingham also does a little acting, as the leader of one of Bad Blake’s backing bands. His scenes with Blake at the motel and later on stage are excellent, contrasting the young gunslinger with the aging icon.  Bridges’s singing is pretty good too.  He’s got a music background and it shows.  I particularly like the rousing “Somebody Else” and the catchy “Fallin’ and Flyin'”.
Other Highlights:
I don’t know where they filmed the road scenes, but the desert roads shots are beautiful.  The closing is shot with a gorgeous vista as backdrop.  It feels and looks like the ending.
****Attention Spoiler Alert***** Do Not Read Further****
The end of the movie features Sweet doing a version of Blake’s recently written “The Weary Kind†performed solo by Sweet with only an acoustic guitar accompaniment. This is in stark contrast to Sweets normal 15 man band (typical of modern country stars). I loved this little detail, even if it was largely insignificant or a clichéd metaphor (depending on your point of view).
Though other reviewers may not agree, I thought Farrell was awesome, not only his singing, but his scenes with Bridges. He looks supremely uncomfortable through most of them, rarely meeting Bridges eye and sheepishly accepting his own success in relation to his mentor. Though clearly possessing the upper hand, he still submits to his hero, even to the point of bowing to him on stage during a duet.
As the closing credits roll, we are treated to Bingham’s version of “The Weary Kindâ€. Though there was no applause from the sold out theater, each and every member of the audience stayed in their seats listening to the song until the house lights were turned us away. There is only one word for that- badass.
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd