Bridges Is Captivating

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2010)

I am not a big fan of country music, wait scratch that, I do not like country music at all. And it should attests to Jeff Bridges talent that I enjoyed Crazy Heart so much.
It shocked me when I first read that Jeff Bridges of The Big Lebowski, Bad Company, The Contender, The Fisher King, and countless other great films has received not a single Oscar for his efforts. That will change this year and believe me rewarding Bridges for his performance as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart is not a collective award, it is for the best performance of the year. Sure the redemptive angle of a hard-luck veteran has been played out before and often, but Bad Blake is one of those characters that when you look into the man's eyes years worth of pain, regret, and weariness phase themselves into your inner psyche. Bridges completely immerses himself into Bad.
Now that's not to say that Bridges is the sole interest of the film, just the biggest. Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is one of the many surprises of this film. In Jean Bad sees a reflection of hurt and lost opportunity. A single mother whose chance meeting with Bad could set her up for at least a little while longer. Bad knows immediately that there is something more than an interview to be had and he knows he can't let her go out that door without knowing he will see her again.
Colin Farrell, another good surprise, actually pulled off a southern accent and is enjoyable as Bridge's former protégé and current country superstar. The feud between the singers never reaches that scripted back-stabbing schenanigans that is seen so often.
The story goes along at mostly the same pace as The Wrestler last year, but the thing is you don't care that you've seen this before. Bridges has to been seen in Crazy Heart.