Sweet redemption

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2016)

If I had to describe "Crazy Heart", I'd call it a country song that's been thrown up onto the big screen. And I say that in the most complimentary fashion because it's the kind of quiet, worn-down cowboy song that sneaks up behind you and does so without being ostentatious or melodramatic.
The cast here all hold their own (between Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell), but it's the star turn from Jeff Bridges that really makes this shine. He embodies the pain and self-recrimination of a has-been performer on the downslope of life. Like the rest of the movie, he's organic and the award-winning performance speaks for itself. 7/10