When Jeff Bridges was awarded a Golden Globe for Crazy Heart, the audience made up of Hollywood longtimers and newcomers gave him the kind of standing ovation reserved for a film legend. His performance as an over the hill country singer is truly mesmerizing. Yet one has to think that his peers were honoring him not only for this one film but also for his impressive body of work spanning more than 30 years. He has been nominated many times for both the Golden Globe and the Oscar, but until now, never won. That losing streak is ending big time. Besides the Golden Globe, he won the Screen Actors Guild Award and is considered the frontrunner for the Academy Award.
Bridges comes from Hollywood royalty. His father, Lloyd, and mother, Dorothy, were actors, as well as his brother, Beau. Accepting the Golden Globe, he recalled that his father loved the business and encouraged his sons to take up acting. What a refreshing departure from stars who complain about the fame game, publicly make a show of shielding their children from the limelight and the business, yet happily pocket the huge salaries provided by the entertainment industry and take advantage of every perk.
Perhaps because Bridges never felt he had anything to prove, he often chose parts that were challenging but not likely to earn him sequels or Happy Meal action figures. Most people, however, have a favorite Bridges film they have watched dozens of times, from The Big Lebowski, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Starman to (my choice) The Fabulous Baker Boys.
Crazy Heart provides Bridges with his best vehicle ever. Bad Blake’s singing career is on the skids and he is reduced to accepting gigs in bowling alleys and seedy bars in dusty Southwestern towns. He seeks his comfort in a bottle of whiskey, often leaving the stage when the room begins to spin. Married three times, he hasn’t seen his son for 24 years. In Santa Fe he meets Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a local writer who wants to interview him for a story. A single mom, decades younger than Blake, Craddock is nonetheless captivated by the singer’s self-deprecating manner. Gyllenhaal has topped herself with this portrayal of a young woman looking for love, but wary about taking on someone like Blake. Colin Farrell is surprisingly effective as the young country singer, Tommy Sweet, whose career is taking off, largely because of Blake’s mentoring and songwriting.
The film’s songs, written by T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham and sung by Bridges and Farrell, provide more than a soundtrack. The lyrics reinforce the action on the screen (“Whiskey has been a thorn in your side”), providing insight into Blake’s struggle to redeem his career and himself. While Blake’s career was as a singer, no doubt his plight—trying to compete with younger rivals—resonated with many in the audience. Entering the theater as an earlier screening was ending, we encountered a middle aged man in tears who told us how affected he was by the film. During our screening, we couldn’t help but notice other men who were openly weeping. Crazy Heart has that power, thanks to a great script, beautiful photography, a talented supporting cast, and Bridges, now on top with the performance of his life.
