Review of Crazy Heart (2009) by Lee H — 15 Aug 2011

Before I watched Crazy Heart, I didn´t know what to expect from it. Now after watching it, I don´t really know what I should think about it.

The film is beautifully shot and Jeff Bridges is brilliant as Otis "Bad" Blake, the former country music star. I also liked Maggie Gyllenhalls performance, so you can´t say a lot of bad stuff about the acting in general.

I didn´t even have a problem with the slow pace of the film. For me, the problem was that there´s just not too much going on in Crazy Heart - and probably nothing new as well. Most people will know versions of the type of story presented here. At times I also felt that this story could have been much more in-depth. Think about the conflict with Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) - it came a little short in my eyes. It seemed like something was missing when the credits already rolled.

I watched this film because Bridges won the Oscar for his performance and I think that he is essential for the films success. Without Bridges´ acting, Crazy Heart could have been something truly mediocre - which it is not.