Crazy Heart (2009):

Starring:

Jeff Bridges - "Bad" Blake

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Jean Craddock

Robert Duvall - Wayne

Tom Bower - Bill Wilson

Colin Farrell - Tommy Sweet

James Keane - Bad's Manager

William Marquez - Doctor

Ryan Bingham - Tony

Paul Herman - Jack Greene

Rick Dial - Wesley Barnes

Director:

Scott Cooper (First Feature Film)

Synopsis:

Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can't help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean, a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man's crazy heart.  

Review:

Originally a loosely based bio pic of country music legend Hank Williams Jr. So this film garnered Jeff Bridges an Academy Award for Best Lead Actor (his first of two back to back nominations. He was nominated but didn't win for True Grit the next year). I think a major factor about this film that really put it over the top for me was the fact that unlike other movies, they had the actual actors themselves sing for the role, instead of having them lip-sync them throughout. Jeff Bridges & Colin Farrel (playing almost a Keith Urban role, minus the accent) have differing styles of singing but both are very much suited for the country genre. A powerful story of an old man, washed out, trying to keep himself afloat whilst keeping his pride. It's "The Wrestler" but with music instead of graps. Although Bridges has the perfect portrayal in this film, I personally find Maggie Gyllenhaal both as a person & character in the film to annoy me beyond the ability to ignore. An interesting love story with great emotions throughout showing just how low a man can get & what it does to everyone around him. One of the only movies that's Soundtrack I actually own. A mixture of movie recordings & of recordings from the song writer Ryan Bingham.

Budget: $7,000,000

Box Office: $47,405,566

Profit: $40,405,566

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Flixster: 73%

90%

Lead Acting: 15/15

Supporting Cast: 12/15

Plot: 9/10

Compared To The Genre: 10/10

Cinematography: 16/20

Intrigue: 18/20

Extra: 10/10