"Life, unfortunately"

Rating: 8/10 (11 April 2010)

As difficult as it is to articulate the 'flavour' of a particular artistic genre or style, even more challenging is it to transpose such a sense into another artistic medium altogether. Yet the genius of writer/director Scott Cooper's Crazy Heart is its ability to do just that, embodying and epitomizing the spirit of country music through the medium of cinema. As such, the resulting film falls prey to the same strengths and weaknesses of its musical genre of choice: predicated on a simplistic, familiar riff, yet etched with deep sorrow and resonant human sentiment, drawing strength and stoic comfort through its determination to stick to the tried and true, thus offering little not seen before but offering it well indeed.
The plot, often dismissed as "2009's The Wrestler", does indeed bank on the same skeletal narrative template as Mickey Rourke's equally Oscar-baiting offering of flawed, washed up yet redemptive masculinity, itself already precariously skirting the line of tiresome cliché. Yet Cooper finds solemn poignancy in in the familiarity, using his film as a gentle ballad which, rather than attempting to 'explain' faded country superstar 'Bad' Blake or unearth the reasons behind his decline, simply presents him as is. As such, Crazy Heart is less character study than character portrait, allowing the audience to fill in the blanks and determine Bad's morality or motivation without unnecessary directorial annotation.
In fact, in many ways Cooper's film excels at taking it slow and loose, adapting a relaxed, unhurried style and pace for the sake of allowing the viewer to drink in the intricacies of Blake's increasingly decrepit life, albeit one which makes the final film drag and feel somewhat overlong for such a simple premise (an added 'romance as redemption' subplot functions mostly as padding). However, as one would imagine, the film thrives as a performance piece, not only in terms of acting but also musically, and the film's country soundtrack infuses it with an earthy weight and presence, thankfully forgoing the standard Hollywood sheen for a clunkier credibility.
That being said, the show show belongs to Jeff Bridges, and his 'Bad' Blake feels just as fully realized and genuine a piece of characterization as has graced the cinema in years. His crinkled face etched with the trials of hard living and encapsulating the film's unshowy, rough and warmly genuine feel through his performance, Bridges bleeds every ounce of charisma, ruffled charm and pathos into his down and out musician, ushering in a performance frustrating to sympathize with yet impossible not to understand, and easily deserving every ounce of accolades. The rest of the cast provide conventional stock characters with earthy authenticity. Maggie Gyllenhaal compellingly blends laid back warmth with a wounded guardedness as the single mother reporter whose life becomes increasingly entwined with Blake's, despite her struggling to generate a performance standing out amidst the inherent cliché of her character. Colin Farrell shines in his few scenes, bringing an understated flashiness to Blake's musical protégée, now a country superstar, and Robert Duvall brings a stoic warmth to Blake's bartender buddy, both mercifully resisting the temptation to chew scenery evidently designated for Bridges.
Even without its array of compelling performances, particularly the evident draw of Bridges, Crazy Heart would manage to overcome its inherently familiar nature with simple, honest storytelling ensconced with genuine weight and poignancy. While far from a cinematic revelation, the film's unassuming ambitions combined with genuine sentiment make the film a winner for what it is, and one song easily worth giving a reflective listen to.
-7.5/10