Crazy Heart

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Actors: Jeff Bridges , Beth Grant , Tom Bower , Maggie Gyllenhaal , James Keane , Debrianna Mansini , Rick Dial , Paul Herman , David Manzanares , Ryil Adamson , J. Michael Oliva , Jerry Handy , Anna Felix , Jack Nation , Ryan Bingham

Director: Scott Cooper

IMDB Rate: 7.8 out of 10 (3004 votes)

Plot Summary:In a career filled with unforced, naturalistic performances, Jeff Bridges gives one of his finest in Crazy Heart. His oft-married, booze-soaked troubadour Bad Blake has just rolled into Santa Fe when he meets Maggie Gyllenhaals journalist Jean. Where do all the songs come from? she asks during their initial encounter. Life, unfortunately, he sighs. Against Jeans better judgment, her fling with Blake blooms into a full-fledged relationship. Between gigs, Blake hangs out with the divorce and her 4-year-old son, with whom he establishes an instant rapport, possibly because the musician is just an overgrown kid himself (and also because he hasnt seen his own boy in years). While Blake plays juke joints, his protg, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell, cast against type to fine effect), plays stadiums, but just when director Scott Coopers debut seems to be going down the same path as A Star Is Born, Sweet offers his mentor an opportunity that could revive his reputation--at the expense of his still-healthy ego. Between Jean and Tommy, things start looking up for Blake until a critical error puts his stab at redemption in jeopardy. Once Robert Duvall enters the scene as Blakes favorite bartender, its clear that Cooper has Tender Mercies in his sights, but Crazy Heart, which features music by T-Bone Burnett and rough-hewn singing by its Golden Globe-winning star, plays more like a sincere cover version than a strikingly original composition. Still, like Duvalls in Tender Mercies, Bridgess performance is Oscar-worthy.