Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges has been a part of some great movies. The Big Lebowski always comes to mind, even though it was a box office nightmare. It wasn't until about a decade after its initial release that it got its due (similar thing happened with another film I love called True Romance). "The Dude" is one of the most iconic American characters to ever be thought up. But a lot of the credit for Bridges performance must be attributed to the Coen brothers, as they had a very clear picture of who Jeffrey Lebowski should be, and how he should act. 

Bridges was also the star of other quality flicks like, Bad Company (1972), Against All Odds (1984), The Fisher King (1991), Blown Away (1994), White Squall (1996), Arlington Road (1999), The Contender (2000), Sea Biscuit (2003), and True Grit (2010). You may not agree with all of these examples, but I found something stand-out in his performance in each. And I really do enjoy Jeff Bridges breadth of work. If he's in a film, I'll go see it. Or I'll at least actively search for it on video (I saw Tideland, and I was just as pissed as the next guy that I couldn't get my time back). And Bridges, like all artists, has hits and misses. But he keeps at it, and he's recently been making some very quality movies. So, go Jeff.

But as you may have noticed, I left one stellar performance of his off the above list. I cleverly did this because it is in fact this film that I'd like to highlight; Crazy Heart. Jeff Bridges plays what is most likely the best role he'll ever play, as down and out, nearly forgotten country musician, "Otis 'Bad' Blake." It seemed like the role was written for Bridges. It seemed like the movie itself was written for Bridges, right down to the songs he played and sang. You see, the movie is not a movie without Jeff Bridges. It's really that simple.

If you look at the story and plot of this movie, it's pretty cliche, especially being that it's not a true story and is a mere fabrication. Washed-up, alcoholic, broke and down old musician, looking to somehow break back into the scene (mainly for money), with few solid relationships, and nothing but a head full of memories. The character seems like someone we've seen or could've seen, many times before. But Bridges makes him real. He makes him unique and human in his own way. You root for this guy in the end, because Bridges has found a way to make this sad, sorry, sap, a hero. And that's cool. That's talent. But amid this great acting, there is another force that makes his character so genuine and authentic, and it cannot be overlooked because just as the movie would be shit without Bridges, Bridges would be shit without the music. 

T-Bone Burnett produced both the film, and the Soundtrack. This man knows what he's doing (look him up). The Soundtrack itself is worth owning, even if you haven't seen the film. It certainly helps if you have. In fact, the Soundtrack was so good, and the performances they got out of Jeff Bridges were so solid, that Bridges himself fell into the delusional thinking that he was actually a country music singer! True story. Bridges hadn't put his hours in, but he certainly got wrapped up in the music and the film. So much so that he went into the studio, and tried to record a Country Album that was pretty heavily marketed. The album sucked. It was generic trash. I love Jeff Bridges, but the truth is the truth. 

But T-Bone enlisted some great songwriters, and filled out the rest of the album with some amazing songs like "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" (Waylon Jennings), "If I Needed You" (Townes Van Zandt), and "Brand New Angel" (Greg Brown). However, one of the writers T-Bone enlisted was a young up-and-comer in the country/rock scene. An individual named Ryan Bingham. I certainly hadn't heard of him before this film, but afterwards, I bought all three of his studio albums. And they're all stellar. T-Bone had found a rare but true talent, and he did the smartest thing a man could do in his position; he found a way to use it.

I think Bingham wrote the best songs on the album (besides "Fallin' & Flyin'" and "I Don't Know"), and certainly the most heartfelt. And when you hear Bingham cover these songs, they're ten times better than the Jeff Bridges version. But this music is what made the movie. This music is what gave Jeff Bridges the authenticity and emotion of his character. It's what made you believe that "Bad" was who he said he was. It's also probably the main reason Bridges got his Oscar. 

Now if you haven't seen this movie, then you've made a mistake. You will have gained something in life once you've seen it. Be that some new music, new perspective, or just a good conversation afterwards. But more importantly if you haven't heard of Ryan Bingham, you should give this kid a chance. His voice is decades more experienced than his years here, and his songwriting is finely tuned, and well structured. He's flying under the radar right now, but he's destined for bigger things. That's my hope at least. I want everyone to enjoy his music like I do, but I'll settle for merely getting people in touch with it.