Rated R for language and brief sexuality.
Directed by Scott Cooper (First feature film)
Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell
The harder the life, the sweeter the song…unfortunately not the sweeter the movie.
Four-time Academy Award nominee Jeff Bridges stars as the tragic, romantic anti-hero Bad Blake. Bad is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks. And yet, he can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.
If Scott Cooper set out to make one of the most depressing films of the year…then mission accomplished. This is one of those films that took me about 15 minutes to completely give up hope for the main characters. But in one pivotal scene I went from giving up hope to flat out angry. SPOILER WARNING: Near the end of the film Jean flips out on Bad because of his drinking. Even though he was drunk when they met, drunk on their first date, drunk…well pretty much drunk the entire time. Not just depressing, Crazy Heart is gritty…so gritty that there were times when I swear I could almost smell the cigarette smoke (and there’s plenty of that too).
The cast is star-studded for sure. Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, and Colin Farrell are all ok, but truthfully I have seen them all in these same roles before. The biggest non-surprise was Jeff Bridges. He plays a stumbling drunk with a bleak future. Sound familiar? He is basically The Dude (from The Big Lebowski (1998)) with a guitar (although I was impressed by his singing).
Speaking of his singing, I’ll admit I like country music. Had this been a story about a washed up 80’s hair band group or a gangster rap artist…I would most likely given it a “Coaster,” but the music kept me in it. In fact, while I’m rating the film an “Only If Free,” the soundtrack is “Worth Buying.”
P.S. If you want to see the same movie with a happy ending, rent Pure Country with George Strait. Ok, it’s a lot cheesier, but it’s George Strait!!
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No. The drinking and swearing are done in excess and the scene of sexuality earns it a true R rating.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
