[Rob Babcock]

After much anticipation I finally got around to seeing Crazy Heart last night, and although I'm not much of a country music fan I have to say it was fantastic, one of the top five best films I've seen in the last two or three years!  Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of "Bad Blake", a down-and-out washed up alcoholic country singer, once a star but long past his prime.  The movie begins with Bad playing a bowling alley.  Once upon a time he headlined arenas but time hasn't been kind to Blake.  Let me say first off that Bridges is amazing!  He inhabits the character so fully that you're pulled completely into Bad's life.  The supporting cast is also terrific.  Yeah, the story is a staple of fiction- the washed up fading star looking for one last shot at the big time- but the superb acting prevents the film from degenerating into cliches.  You really care about the characters because they're so honest, so sincerely presented, that you begin to believe them.

The film enhances the feeling of truth by allowing the actors to perform their own songs.  Bridges is very convincing as the worn out, world weary burnout who's songs are basically scars earned from a life lived badly.  Colin Farrell turns in another standout performance as Tommy Sweet, a former protege/student of Bad's who's gone on to eclipse his mentor.  Playing against the cliches, he's a good and loyal friend who goes as far as he dares to honor and help his mentor; Sadly Bad is too proud to see it.  When Blake falls in love with a much younger woman he's forced to confront what his life has become...but what will he be able to do about it?  Again, the way things unfold is heartbreaking but also hopeful.  It shows you that change often comes hard if it comes at all.

Again, as a guy who's not much into country music the soundtrack was quite a surprise to me.  The songs are mostly written by music legend T-Bone Burnett and performed with competence and conviction by the cast.  All day at work I had "Falling Feels Like Flying" running through my head, and I think I may actually have to buy the soundtrack!

All in all, I highly recommend this movie.  I can't help but compare and contrast it with another of the best films I've seen in recent years, the Coen's latest movie, "A Serious Man."  The latter impresses with the strength of it's virtuosic writing; the former with the strength of the acting.   It's not perfect but the superb cast earns so much goodwill that you'll almost certainly forgive the few minor faults.   Two thumbs up!

[ajzepp]

Good call, Rob. I LOVED this film. I've always been a Jeff Bridges fan, and this is probably one of my favorites from him. I thought the acting was amazing and I was engaged with the film from start to finish.

It's funny you mention the Coen bros, cause True Grit is one of the films I'm DYING to see, and it'll be a showcase for both the Coens and Mr. Bridges...cannot WAIT.

[Rob Babcock]

No doubt!  Few guys could fill in for The Duke, but JB has reached that point of age and stature that I think he'll fill the bill admirably.  And what a cast!  Damon, Bridges & Brolin?  It can't get much better than that!

[ajzepp]

Heck yeah, man...it's going to be amazing!

I'm glad it's not just a remake, too. Supposedly it's a new adaptation of the novel (or whatever the source was lol), so you can bet that the Coen's will bring an interesting take to the subject matter. It's been a LONG time since a trailer captivated me like the one for this film did when I saw it recently.

And as you mentioned, the cast is just ridiculous...I cannot wait to see this!

[satfrat]

AJ's been after me to see this movie cuz even tho I'm a big Jeff Bridges fan n' all, I'm not so big on country music. So I'm getting ready to finally see it on HBO now. But before I do, I thought AJ might be interested to know that Crazy Horse won multiple Grammy's last night. 
 
Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett won the Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media Grammy for The Weary Kind, a track from Crazy Horse. The Crazy Horse soundtrack also won Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other.
 
Cheers,
Robin

[satfrat]

Now that was 1 crazy good movie, for country music that is.    Remarkable singing from both Jeff Bridges and Colin Farrell who left no doubt in anyones mind that they can both can sing mighty good. Those Grammy's were well deserved for the compete soundtrack, one that you don't mind listening to as the closing credits roll by. It's just another facet of Jeff Bridges that makes him so great an actor and who has continued to get better & better with time. 
 

 
An easy 4.5 out of 5 stars. 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[ajzepp]

4.5/5?? Wow, that huge praise coming from Robin!! lol I think that's about the highest grade I've ever seen him give 

Just a superb film, though...and thanks for the reminder about the music! I only saw part of the grammys, so I missed their win....very deserving, though! I'm not a huge country music fan either, but I really enjoyed the music in this film.

[stlrman]

This was a fatastic movie!! One of my favorite films of the year.
I loved the sound track, so I bought Ryan Bingham's album called Junky Star. I highly recommend this album!!