The TV blurb said:
A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.
and I knew that Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell were in it, and that it had been the recipient of two oscar wins - Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for it, and the a song for the movie, The Weary Kind, also received one - and Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Supporting Actress too.
I've always loved Jeff Bridges' work - but somehow the idea of this movie had failed to inspire me to go see it, but for those who haven't yet, I must just say chase it down and watch it. It's fabulous!
Jeff Bridges playes Bad Blake, a faded, country music superstar, who drinks, smokes, and takes full advantage of the numerous opportunities to go to bed with the middle-aged groupies who flock to his performances in run down bars. He's out of shape, has been married numerous times, and has a son he hasn't seen since the kid was a nipper. Hardly hero material. But in my opinion, this is the best role I've ever seen Jeff in. He commands the screen, and even though he's overweight and rocketing towards distruction, he's still totally gorgeous.
When he meets the much younger Gyllenhaal, who plays music journalist, Jean, the sexual tension is palpable. And as they start into an affair, their individual conflicts are so strong, the story became so real, so poignant, that I was rooting for their happy ever after. There's a fantastic performance by Robert Duvall too, who plays Bad's friend.
My current hero inspiration is Colin Farrell, who plays Bad Blake's former protegee turned country music superstar. Colin doesn't appear in the credits, as he didn't want to take the focus from Jeff, but even if he had, the incredible charisma of Bad Blake would have wiped the floor with him.
The story is full of interesting twists and turns, and lots of heartbreak along the way - but ultimately, Bad's journey is an inspiring one, that grabbed me from the moment Jeff appeared on screen, and didn't let go until the closing credits.
I don't want to give any more away, so will leave you with the trailer to whet your appetite!
Enjoy!
2 comments:
Gosh yes, now I've read your review, I remember there was a huge buzz about Crazy Heart a couple of years ago. Must admit, I don't normally go for these sort of movies, but I'll look out for this one as I adore Jeff Bridges!
It's definitely worth a watch, Maya!
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