Sunday, February 19, 2012

Crazy Heart

****

Directed by Scott Cooper

Written by Scott Cooper
Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb

Starring:
Jeff Bridges ... Bad Blake
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Jean Craddock
Robert Duvall ... Wayne

Rated R
Runtime: 1 hr. 52 min.


Late in Crazy Heart there’s a shot of a character standing over a running stream, surrounded by woodland. That shot felt like a tall, cold drink of water after a day’s work in the hot son. It may be the first time we see a liquid other than alcohol, urine, vomit, or ginger ale. Regardless, it is certainly the first time we've seen lush, green surroundings. We’ve traveled through arid landscapes both human and natural to arrive at this point.

Our guide has been Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) a rundown, broke former country music great who gigs from one small bowling alley to the next dive bar. Each night it’s a different backing band, a different crowd, a different woman. I imagine they all start to look the same. Maybe that’s why there’s so much alcohol. It deadens him to the monotony. Or maybe the alcohol is part of the monotony.

It’s broken when he walks into a venue early to hear his pianist for the night jamming by his lonesome. Bad compliments him. Seeing that as an invitation, the pianist asks if Bad might grant his niece and interview.

You might think you see where this is all heading. Well, you do and you don’t. Many films have all the arc of a laser beam. They set up the character, present a problem, and guide you headlong into the solution. There might be a subplot or two here and there, but best make sure you don’t stray too far. Well, that ain’t life and this movie understands that. It strays, allowing all those subplots, those things vying for Bad’s attention, to become the plot.

Bad Blake’s life has been out of balance for longer than we know. It’s got too much alcohol, too many marriages, too many hurts and broken dreams. Maybe it begins to tip the other way when the pianist’s niece, Maggie, walks into his hotel room, but I don’t want to label it so simply. Because meeting her has nothing to do with the sour relationship between he and the young country and western star he gave his start, Tommy Sweet. And while both of these have a bearing on his songwriting, it has its own demands.

None of these relationships begin or end exactly as we predict. The actors are certainly to be credited with creating such real characters. Maggie Gyllenhall is asked to do a lot. To appear onscreen with an infatuation with Bad Blake. To make some tricky, hairpin emotional turns in scenes. I won’t mention the actor playing Tommy Sweet. I didn’t know who it was going in. It was an amazing revelation, both daring and perfect. All l will say is that sometimes you need an unknown and sometimes you need a superstar. This time out you need a superstar, and he acted, looked, and sang the part.

Is there an actor who inhabits a role better than Jeff Bridges? As with most of his roles, this isn’t particularly showy. He’s not asked to go to emotional extremes. But there’s not a moment that we don’t believe that this is Bad Blake on screen. And that’s the highest compliment.

A lot of movies with great performances are only about the performances. First time director Scott Cooper doesn’t make that mistake here. Let me return to the experience I had of relief when that stream came on screen. It was a skilled and sure director with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the story he’s telling that led me to that sensation.

I suppose the last thing to mention is the music. Jeff Bridges wouldn’t sign on until he knew the music was going to be right, because he felt the movie would fail if it wasn’t. He was right, and the music holds up its end of the bargain.