Review of Crazy Heart (2009) by David R — 13 Jun 2011

Great performances by all the leads (except the occasional accent slip by Colin Ferrell). Jeff Bridges & Maggie Gyllanhall have real chemistry; she's a great actress and in this film you get to see her skills subtly playing out deep emotions on her face and with her body.

The cinematography is notable in how effectively the scenes move from the big sky of the American west to intimate country music bars. The music is strong as well. However I found the story somewhat pedantic and while the ending was very real it felt anti-climatic and a little disappointing.

It's also unfortunate that the film opens at a bowling alley - Bridges fans will immediately see an older Dude and for a moment lose focus on Bad!