That's Harmony: Feels & Sounds exactly right

Rating: 9/10 (11 November 2010)

Before I start - if you are into country (/blues, rock ... good music) or maybe even into guitar playing you'll probably like this film even morecause you can also connect more than others to its musical content. There is one unwritten rule if you are learning to play the guitar. "If it feels/sounds right, it is right". This is exactly what this picture is like.
This movie not necessarily features a very original plot for parts (well most of it) but its characters make it feel like that and even more; they make it feel real.
I can tell Jeff Bridges' Oscar was well deserved. He is a special actor. For sure I never got/get to him personally (though I'd love to) but he seems to be such a great person and his acting is not from a lesser quality.
Jeff Bridges (perfectly cast) plays an old country musician Bad Blake whose great times are already gone. His career goes downhill and it's been years since he last wrote a new song. He is alcoholic and alone. On his trip through the states he is playing in small clubs in small towns - one of them is Santa Fe, Texas. Here he meets a young reporter played by Maggie Gyllenhall. She has a son but has never been happy with a man yet. She likes Bad a lot but has also doubts because of his alcoholism and fears about her son. Bad on the other hand feels like a father for the first time. Collin Ferell appears as Tommy, Bad's guitar student in earlier days and now far more successful than his old mentor. But he has not forgotten what Bad had done for him so he asks Bad to go on tour together and if he could write songs for him. Some new steps there to take for Bad, and he wants to do the right things, he is a good guy. But will some of his decision be too late? And will all soon be good again for him ... ?
It's a slow but never boring experience that always feels fresh. It moves from one good scene to another and always when you fear it is gonna lose it in the next minute we get a new piece of information, a new characteristic trait and it really works the whole movie through. There is no moment that feels like it was too long or had no substance.
These are lovable, three dimensional characters and we really care for them. We even get a little Robert Duvall in there.
On top of that of course there is high quality dialog that also delivers some wisdoms for life.
We got some funny moments, some sad moments and some moments of happiness... and none of them feel forced at any time.
The music written explicitly for the film - and actually really performed by the actors themselves - is beautiful and makes it round. Yet another the academy award! I already got the best tracks at home!
Finally the best argument that I can give you to see this movie is that after the end it left me feeling happy and satisfied and I kept sitting and listing to the music until the end of the credits ... If that is not a good sign ...
Annotation: The R - Rating is once more a ******* joke! Kids go watch this!
8.5/10