DVD Review: Crazy Heart

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Crazy HeartThe movie that won Jeff Bridges a Best Actor Oscar, Crazy Heart, is now available on DVD and on Blu-ray. I saw the movie for the first time rather late in its theatrical run, discouraged by lukewarm reviews, and was very happily surprised. While the story may be very familiar, the characters and the very Texas music give it an extra kick. I wish the discs offered more special features, but the best "extra" of this film is probably the soundtrack, which you'll just have to buy separately.

Bridges's character, Bad Blake, could have stepped right out of Austin, although he lives in Houston and much of the movie is set in New Mexico (oh, those incentives ...). The aging singer-songwriter is endlessly touring to scrape together a living, and the alcohol he needs to get through the sleazy tours is taking his toll. While in New Mexico, he meets a lovely young journalist, Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and like practically every other female journalist in film, she has no qualms about becoming personally involved with her interview subject. (Do you see Slackerwood reporters leaping into bed with Austin filmmakers? I think not. End of rant.) Jean has a little boy and a history of getting involved with exactly the wrong guy, but Bad Blake's buttermilk biscuits are irresistable. Well, we've all been there.

At the same time, Bad Blake is nursing a love-hate professional relationship with young musician Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), who sees the older musician as a mentor and inspiration, covers his songs, and even asks him to open for him on tour. But the movie takes pains not to make Tommy Sweet the bad guy of the movie, instead opting for something more complicated, realistic and interesting.

If you're like me, when you read the plot of this movie you may groan, "Oh, god, it's another one of those movies about the down-and-out musician who strikes bottom and the woman who either drags down with him or saves him from himself. Not again." But again, Crazy Heart tries to gently steer away from too many obvious stereotypes or plot twists. A good script with very good characters, adapted from a Thomas Cobb novel, is the key. It's hard to believe that this is the feature filmmaking debut for writer/director Scott Cooper.

You've probably heard all about Jeff Bridges's amazing performance by this point -- if you walked into the Saxon Pub and he was onstage playing as Bad Blake, you wouldn't blink an eye. Even his singing is right on target, and I was able to listen to Bridges on the soundtrack without the wince you sometimes can't resist when you hear non-musical actors perform without seeing them (Sweeney Todd and Black Snake Moan leap to mind).

Bridges's performance is supported by a few seasoned actors in small roles, such as Robert Duvall (also one of the film's producers) as a friend who owns a Houston bar where Bad Blake performs when he's not touring, Rick Dial as a fabulous piano player in Santa Fe, and Beth Grant too briefly as a small-town fan who has her eye on him. (Grant needs that Honorary Texan award at Texas Film Hall of Fame one of these days.) The real surprise was Colin Farrell as a country-music singer -- you'd never know he was Irish, and he makes his character seem human instead of a stereotype, which would have been all too easy. The one false note in the film is Gyllenhaal's performance, which is almost jarringly wrong for this film. Maggie Gyllenhaal is an excellent actress who has been the best part of several movies I've seen, but I can't buy her as a New Mexico single mom who's been damaged by the men in her life.

The music is a strong aspect of Crazy Heart, with songs written by Stephen Bruton, Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett. This movie would not be nearly so believable and vivid without such good songwriting. I realize that everyone in Austin is probably weary of hearing "The Weary Kind," but it works beautifully in the context of the film.

Crazy Heart has its melodramatic moments, but for the most part it's a compelling film that sneaks up on you and holds your attention and sticks around with you for a few days afterward. If you missed its long run at the Arbor, now's the time to check it out on DVD. The sound and picture quality are very good -- I especially was pleased with the music sequences.

Special features: The only special features on the Crazy Heart DVD are a half-dozen deleted scenes. A couple of them appear to be from a third-act plot element that was removed, including one short but good scene with Robert Duvall. Another version of "Somebody Else" would have been great except that the sound quality for all the deleted scenes was poor.

The Blu-ray has more deleted scenes and a three-minute featurette in which several of the actors talk about how they became involved in the project.

Austin connections: Local musician Ryan Bingham co-wrote several of the songs for Crazy Heart, including "The Weary Kind," which won a Best Original Song Oscar. Bingham also appears in the movie -- he's part of Bad Blake's back-up band at the bowling alley. The late Stephen Bruton, another Austin musician, worked on the movie's score with T-Bone Burnett. Part of the movie is set in Houston although it was not actually filmed in Texas.

For another perspective on Crazy Heart, read Debbie's review from the movie's theatrical release.