Donna and I saw Crazy Heart last evening. Jeff Bridges will certainly clutch the best actor Oscar two weeks from tonight. He was excellent as the down-and-out country singer “Bad” Blake. (And does his own singing.) Maggie Gyllenhaal was quite good too, as the reporter who falls for him. She’s been nominated for the supporting actress Oscar.
The acting carries the movie, which itself is a fairly trite redemption story. Perhaps I’m especially jaded because I saw The Wrestler a few nights ago, and Tender Mercies again just last month, but the outline of Crazy Heart is predictable. I never can see what these lovely 30-something women see in the ugly, 50-something drunks. At least Mac Sledge has stayed sober — Robert Duvall (who won an Oscar for that performance) appears in this movie to help Bad change his ways. Colin Farrell is the rising country music star.
But it’s all about Bridges and that alone makes it worth seeing. Well, that and the music which made even this clutz want to get up and try a two-step.
And the New Mexico scenery. The film was shot around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Even a supposed casino in Phoenix is really the Journal Pavilion in Albuquerque. The road from Phoenix to Santa Fe crisscrosses Albuquerque’s West Mesa forever. And the mall bar in Houston — it’s really a restaurant in downtown Albuquerque. It was like watching people we knew.
Update: The New York Times Magazine has an interesting slide show of Bridges.
We saw this here in D.C. a few weeks back. Let me tell you: news that the legislature was considering removing the tax incentives for filming in New Mexico was not well-received. For those of us no longer fortunate enough to call the Land of Enchantment home, recent cinema has provided a wealth of opportunities to relish home-sweet-home.
As for the movie, I could support a little more editing: They kinda kit you over the head with everything. That said, you nailed the music—it was well done, and Bridges and Farrell both surprised me with their vocals. The acting was incredible as well. I’ve got high hopes for Jeff and Maggie.