Review of Crazy Heart (2009) by Joe W — 15 Apr 2012

No film I've ever seen has touched on alcoholism quite like this movie does, despite many trying their hand at the darkly popular subject. You run into a lot of drunks in movies: mean ones, hopeless ones, redemptive ones.

..and they always seem to end up one of two ways: great or worse. Occasionally they are three-dimensional, but most of the time they're not exactly a balanced breakfast. Well, Jeff Bridge's Bad Blake is the answer to that, in what stands in my opinion as the best performance of his career.

Bad Blake is a strange mixture of likable and depressing: a man looking for something to grip onto despite always losing out to his stubborn vices. His story is a captivating one and his arc is one that many have criticized as predictable but its bitter-sweetness make it anything but.

Augment that with great supporting performances and one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and you have a work of art that's hard to top and even harder to imagine why the Oscars didn't pay it much attention beyond Bridges or the songs.

Move aside 2009 Best Picture Noms: THIS was far above the status of worthy contender.