Film: Crazy Heart
Cast includes: Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Elegy), Lluis Homar (Caótica Ana)
Writer/Director: Pedro Almodóvar (Volver, Talk to Her)
Genre: Romance/suspense Spanish with subtitles
In brief: “Shit. It’s a fucking bowling Alley.” Bad Blake is one sorry sight. He’s a country singer who’s seen better days… a lot better. Reduced to traveling from small town to small town in his beat up Chevy Suburban, playing in crappy bars and bowling alleys, Bad barely earns enough money to buy the McClure’s he’s been trying to kill himself with. Somehow Bad manages to stay just this side of total self-destruction. Four ex-wives, one child who doesn’t know him and a career that’s all but dead… Bad’s in a real bad place.
When Jean, the niece of a local piano player, wants to do a story on Bad for the Santa Fe newspaper, Bad agrees. When Jean shows up, Bad is in no shape for an interview. So they’ll have to continue after the performance. Miraculously, Bad remembers. Jean isn’t like all the other women Bad meets on the road. Fresh and clean-cut, Jean makes Bad “feel obliged to apologize for being less than you want me to be.” Bad is 57 years old and it’s been a long time since anyone has made him want to turn around the downward spiral of his life. Of course wanting to change and actually doing it are two different things. Jean knows that Bad is trouble, but she finds it hard to turn her back on him. Despite the wreck he’s made of his life, there’s something sincere and compelling about Bad Blake… for Jean and for us.
Musicians with substance abuse issues… how many movies have they made on this theme? It’s not the plot that makes this one a standout. It’s the performances… especially Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake. It’s painful to watch some scenes. Yet Bad Blake manages to pull himself together just enough to keep performing. Jeff Bridges performs all the Bad Blake songs, and the music is excellent. Colin Farrell plays Tommy Sweet, a former protégé, who wishes he could do something to help Bad. But in the end, there’s only one person who can help Bad, and until Bad figures that out, it’s going to be a rough ride.
3 popped kernels
Excellent acting and singing... not very original story... but with such great performances, who cares
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Mainstream limited release
Mood: Both upbeat and somber
Tempo: Cruses comfortably
Visual Style: Unvarnished realism
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
