Review of Crazy Heart (2009) by Kyle K — 12 Jan 2015

Dizzyingly surreal and gritty, balancing both worlds like a disjointed dream that initially makes complete.

sense - until you wake up and think again. When these worlds do collide, it all shatters, and eventually makes some kind of horrific sense.

Same here.

Usually the drama starts AFTER you wake up, but this drama holds you in its mystical dream state amazingly well.

I discovery the soundtrack before seeing the movie, and was haunted for weeks by Townes Van Zandt's If I Needed You.

It plays perfectly to set the tone of the movie, even Van Zandt's tragic life story draws parallel to the movie.

The rest of the Grammy winning soundtrack is stunning, don't overlook it.

Bridges is a marvel, and disappears in this role of desperation and heartbreak.

Gyllenhaal matches him note for note, and seamlessly plays off him despite the age difference.

This movie stayed w me long after, and haunted me.

The nuances and perspective are hard fought and rather knowing, and deserve props of their own.

Language, knockdown-dragout fighting, and sexual stuff make it adult only material, beware.

4 out of 5 lonely guitars.