Bad Blake is a down and out alcoholic country singer who lives on the edge. Blake’s gigs run to bowling alleys and broken down bars, a far cry from his days as a big country music star. Bad Blake meets a reporter who helps him take another look at the downward spiral that is his life.

I was looking forward to Crazy Heart, being a Jeff Bridges fan, and as I expected his Oscar winning performance was brilliant. Bridges’ is fearless in his portrayal of an unrepentant alcoholic, a performance that is at once touching and painful to watch. Maggie Gyllenhaal earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. The rest of the cast is uniformly strong, featuring a solid performance by Colin Farrell and a small but charming performance by Robert Duvall as Bad Blake’s bar owner friend Wayne.

In his directorial debut Scott Cooper does a fine job, giving the actors a great deal of freedom, which I think makes this film better overall. The film is quiet and low-key, giving you the feeling that you may be intruding on these characters. The story itself could be seen as one you find familiar, but Bridges performance elevates the film beyond the level of the script. The music is engaging, with good singing performances by Bridges and Farrell. Jeff Bridges deserved the Oscar for this performance and it is one you will not want to miss, the movie should be on your must see list.

2009. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Beth Grant and Jack Nation. Music by T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton and Ryan Bingham.

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