The Freak's Rating: A : Much talk headed into this year's Academy Award ceremony focused on Jeff Bridges. Having been nominated a number of times prior, Bridges had locked this one up. The phrase "this is his time" was uttered by a number of critics and analyists. I ate up the fanfare with a tad more difficulty than others, having heard the same things last year of Mickey Rourke's turn in The Wrestler and seeing the predictions fall flat on Oscar night. I setup my screening for Crazy Heart a week prior to the ceremony.
Crazy Heart tells the story of Bad Blake, a worn-down country singer past his prime and clinging to any shred of celebrity he has left. Bad Blake plays the Holiday Inns, the backup bands providing the music bed for his lead vocals that sound as raspy and exhausted as he looks. Alcohol running thick in his system, Blake has little going for him in the world, and knows it.
There are so many wonderful parts played here. Bobby Duvall has a nice turn as Blake's confidant and Maggie Gylenhaal is phenomenal as Jean Craddock, Blake's love interest. The beauty of the film lies in the producing. Music is wonderfully compiled and, in the case of the title track, written specifically for the film. Direction is well done throughout and cinematography is par for the course. The wonderful acting takes away from the strength of this being an overall solid film somehow and thus, no nomination for Best Picture.
Crazy Heart is one of the best films of the year, far better than The Blind Side, District 9 or many other Best Picture nominees. It is sad to not see it in the running for the year's biggest honor. This is a must purchase for me. Bridges gives the best performance since The Big Lebowski and one of the best in the last decade. It is truly a reference piece for acting.
