‘Crazy Heart’

3 out of 5

Leave it to novice filmmaker Scott Cooper to bring out the full potential of actor Jeff Bridges’ scruffy handsomeness, effortless charm and tobacco-cured voice. Though the film plot is an unoriginal portrayal of an entertainer’s tribulations, Bridges’ performance is brilliant under the leadership of a much younger director. ‘Crazy Heart’ won’t soon be mistaken for groundbreaking cinema, but despite the film’s too-familiar formula, Bridges reaffirms his standing among the most accomplished actors of the past four decades.’Crazy Heart’ is about Bad Blake (Bridges), a former country music superstar who is relegated to performing in dive bars and bowling alleys in the Southwest and drinking himself half to death on a nightly basis. Blake is still personable nonetheless. He is a warm and friendly character who is too worn-out to write new songs or to pursue another lucrative record deal. With four failed marriages, no savings account and a graveyard full of regrets, Blake is simply pathetic.Blake is seemingly content to roam the Southwest aimlessly in his beloved pickup truck until he reluctantly agrees to an interview with a bright but impulsive journalist, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Craddock is a divorcée with a 4-year-old son named Buddy (Jack Nation). As the unlikely couple begins a loving relationship, Blake begins to right his wrongs. He reconnects with country sensation Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), his former protégé. Blake manages to forge a meaningful, paternal relationship with Buddy, but the lifelong renegade’s alcoholism cannot be easily stopped. With a stable future at stake, Blake must conquer his demons in time to revive his relationship with Jean.Gyllenhaal gives her best performance in a supporting role since her turn in the provocative film ‘Secretary’ (2002). Farrell may be an Irishman who’s about as ‘country’ as Mark Wahlberg, but nonetheless he is terrific in the film. The actor projects a profound humility while extending his streak of dynamic performances. Robert Duvall, who won an Academy Award for best actor as a country singer in ‘Tender Mercies’ (1983), humbly passes the torch to Bridges in his first great role in years. Without Bridges, the film would not be as memorable.Bridges received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in his first screen role for ‘The Last Picture Show’ (1971). With just three nominations since, he has garnered a reputation for being perhaps the most underappreciated actor in the industry. Over the course of his 39-year career, Bridges has delivered a wealth of spellbinding performances – ‘The Fisher King’ (1991), ‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998) and ‘The Contender’ (2000) immediately come to mind – but not until 2009 did he encounter a role which suited his style and strengths so perfectly. Bridges’ embodiment of Blake’s world, weariness and good-hearted outlook is downright masterful. He distills a lifetime of accumulated pain and discomforting vulnerability into a performance that renders viewers utterly defenseless. Freshman filmmaker Cooper certainly warrants praise for cultivating such fine performances from his cast. But unfortunately, his work does not do justice to his actors’ accomplishments. The concept behind the film is tired and worn. It is void of any spontaneity or remotely original panache. It is hard to watch the film without recognizing the many ways in which it shamelessly borrows from pictures that detail an entertainer’s downfall, most notably Darren Aronofsky’s ‘The Wrestler’ (2009). The film has heart because of Bridges’ tremendous performance, although sufficiently empathetic and soulful, Cooper’s work is just barely worthy of the star’s excellence. smlittma@syr.edu