Not So Crazy About "Crazy Heart"

Rating: 4/10 (13 September 2010)

Somebody put in an order for a fresh batch of movie clichés, please, because "Crazy Heart" has used up the inventory.
This film must have been the personal pet project of Scott Cooper, as he served as writer, director and producer, so I can only assume that the story was too close to his heart for him to be able to see what a lame retread it was. But I can't imagine what drew good actors like Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal to such warmed over material.
Every country cliché is present and accounted for: Bridges plays a washed up music star who's lost the ability to write songs until he's inspired by his muse. There's your movie. Gyllenhaal is said muse, and there's a considerable ick factor in seeing her paired with Bridges -- not only is she about, what?, 30 years younger than him, but he looks so disgusting for so much of the film that you can't imagine any woman falling into bed with him. She's got a little boy who she allows Bridges to get close to. If you think that means that we have to endure a scene of the drunk Bridges accidentally putting the little boy in possible danger and then enduring the wrath of his mom, you'd be right. In fact, there's a good chance you're right about everything, since you can call this entire film's plot, virtually scene by scene, far in advance.
Bridges won an Oscar for looking like hell and doing his own singing -- he's been much better in a hundred other things.
Grade: C