Good Music. Okay Story

Rating: 7/10 (25 April 2010)

Bad Blake (Bridges) is a country western singer who has fallen on hard times. He is out of shape, smokes endlessly, drinks too much and is not going anywhere. He is an alcoholic. His fans love the ground he walks on. He finds Jane (Gyllenhaal) and believes he has found love, but Jane discovers there are some things you don't trust an alcoholic with.
I kept waiting for the song Crazy Heart to play, but Crazy Heart is not a song. Silly me. It is the title of this movie. The theme song of this movie is The Weary Kind and as songs go, it was okay, I guess. But it had no life to it and wasn't meant to, I suppose. The song had no hook. I like songs with hooks. This was kind of like a ballad, without it sounding too much like a ballad, weary maybe. No hooks. That killed it for me.
However, the other country songs in here were spot on. In fact, they were better than the songs I heard at the recent County Music Awards show on TV. Yes, they still have that. They still call them country songs, but someone needs to re-examine and re-classify them. They were not the country music songs I am used to hearing. But, the country songs in this movie were. And, in one instance a little Cajun music was thrown in. I was in heaven.
Jeff Bridges was in his element. Yes, the beard kept reminding me of Kris Kristofferson, but I got over it. Almost. Bridges sang his own songs and did a very good job. I have said for years that he was the most under-rated actor in Hollywood. Colin Farrell was good as Tommy Sweet (Blake's one time protégé) and he can sing too. Who knew? A bigger part should have been made for him. Maggie Gyllenhall was perfect as Blake's love interest. As for Robert Duvall, well, what can I say? He is always perfect (and to me he will forever be Gus from Lonesome Dove).
The story was okay. I kept hoping the writers would hurry up and get Blake into Detox or some program as I was getting tired of watching him vomit. If the title song or the theme song would have been more of a toe-tapper and had the hooks, this would have been a bigger movie and may have won Best Picture. I am sure of it. But, as Bad says his songs came from "life, unfortunately." And, not all songs are toe-tappers, but, many of his songs in here were.
Violence: No. Sex: Almost. Nudity: No. Sexual situations: Yes. Language: Yes