My eagerly awaited review of Crazy Heart

Rating: 3/10 (31 January 2010)

Huh?
When does the movie start? The film is formulaic, predictable, pleasant. That's the good news, it won't kill you to sit thru it. Wait for Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter to go see when you're in a mood to end your own life.
I don't understand the raves for Jeff Bridges' performance, and I like him, always have. I think that's how he's winning awards for Crazy Heart, people like him. His performance is professional. He does the job. It's not in any way a stand out job of acting, really. He's good, that's it. Maggie Gyllenthal is also OK as his younger lover interest. She looks great from the neck up and Bridges' Bad Blake keeps yapping about how gorgeous she is. But they don't keep the camera away from her skinny body and flat bottom, and frankly, she didn't look that hot to me. They could have cast this part better. The best thing in the film was a big star's unadvertised part as Bad Blake's super successful protégé. It's not a secret if you look it up, like they did with Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder, but this guy's performance was the best in the film, so I won't ruin the surprise and name the star here.
In the film, they keep raving about how great the song that Bad Blake writes for Maggie is, called (surprise) Crazy Heart. Huh? (again). The song is truly truly ordinary, far less as songs than the ones supposed to be Bad Blake's old hits. In the film, I think they briefly mention some famous-not so famous country song writer/singer who the Bad Blake character is supposed to be based on. I never heard of him before, and likely won't ever again.
The cinematography of the Southwest is excellent, breathtaking at times. The film is not. It is being badly overrated by the jackal pack that reviews films nowadays. They sniff out what the consensus is saying, and write accordingly.
If you wait for DVD-rental, unless you're a country music fan, you won't make it thru the two hours without falling asleep or hitting pause to go surf the channels. Trust me.