Ramblin' Man!

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2020)

In the space of a year Jeff Bridges gave 2 standout performances and in doing so, created 2 classic characters; Bad Blake in Crazy Heart and shortly thereafter, the definitive portrayal of Rooster Cogburn (surpassing that of the Duke's in my estimation) in the Coen Brothers remake of True Grit. Both were Oscar - winning acts, but he did in fact take it for Bad Blake and how well-deserved it is.
Bridges just totally adopts the persona of the alcoholic singer-songwriter who was once a country music star, but now is just well and truly over the hill and heading for skid row, if he isn't already there. Besides the quality acting which you always get from Bridges anyway, there's the musicianship on show. He obviously knows his way around a guitar, is clearly comfortable playing with a variety of musicians and has a voice just made for a country and western veteran, who's seen better days.
Bridges carries this well-directed film from writer/director Scott Cooper, but he receives some wonderful support in the process. Maggie Gyllenhaal is sensational as Blake's love interest Jean Craddock, a youngish journalist and writer, as well as single mother, with a four-year-old son, Buddy. Irishman, Colin Farrell, is also surprisingly persuasive as Tommy Sweet, a new country star and former protege of Blake's. In a lovely touch Robert Duvall turns up for just a few beautifully written scenes, as a longtime friend of Blake's through thick and thin. In casting Duvall, Cooper undoubtedly pays a very respectful homage to Tender Mercies, Duvall's 1983 film for which he also won an Oscar, playing a somewhat similar character to Blake, but one who'd already started his journey to personal redemption.
If you appreciate country music, you're just about guaranteed to love Crazy Heart. There is plenty of music and musicianship on show with some great songs and fine playing from a cavalcade of country and western stars, in cameo roles as backing musos. This is my favourite country music themed movie, with Bridges's amazing performance the number one reason. Some may feel that at 7/10, I may well be underscoring the film and that could well be true. But along with others, I do feel the story is pretty derivative (see comments above about Tender Mercies for example) though always engaging. It shouldn't stop interested punters from feeling for the Crazy Heart.