Superior because of Bridges

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2010)

Although Jeff Bridges was not my personal choice to win the Oscar this year for Best Actor, it is impossible to argue against the fact that he is absolutely terrific in Crazy Heart. Despite having more respect for the character played by Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker, I believe Jeff Bridges deserves an Oscar for over 30 years of superior performances. Jeff Bridges may not be as widely popular as George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, or Brad Pitt, but he is an actor who appeals to almost every generation. One of his first performances was in the Oscar nominated film, The Last Picture Show (1971), which is now known as a cult classic because of the way the movie portrayed small town life in the 1950s. Since then Bridges has played a variety of rolls from the hero in King Kong (1976) to the piano expertise in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) to the villain in Iron Man (2008). Despite being fantastic in almost every roll he plays, Bridges is perfect for the character Bad Blake in Crazy Heart, which is essentially the same character as the Dude from The Big Lebowski. There is no actor I can think of that plays the washed-up lazy drunk better than Bridges.
In Crazy Heart Bridges plays a 50 year old country singer named Bad Blake, who despite having natural musical talent spends more time drinking than playing the guitar. In his early years Blake supposedly attracted masses of fans, but as he got older he lost popularity and now plays at smaller locations such as bowling allies and bars. At one show on the road he is interviewed by a local reporter named Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who he falls immediately in love with and the two begin a relationship. Although Jean as well as doctors warn Blake about his bad habits, he cannot stop drinking. The relationship between Blake and Jean is the weakest part of this film, primarily because I didn't buy that Jean would fall for such a wreck of a personality (as likable as Blake is). Although Gyllenhaal gives it her all, I think someone older and perhaps less attractive would have made the story more believable.
Overall, the two best parts of this film are Bridges portrayal of an alcoholic musician and the songs themselves. This film really gives viewers an idea of how both music and alcohol can deeply affect an individual in two completely different ways. So despite not buying the romance between Blake and Craddock, Crazy Heart is worth your time because of Bridges performance. This is especially true if you love country music.