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I think I forgot to mention on this blog how much I love Conan O'Brien. Sometimes last year I started subscribing to his show on Hulu and watching it every day. I got some of my heartiest laughs of the day from that show. Well, not long before he went off the air after being mistreated by NBC, he was having some of his best shows. Jeff Bridges was one of the guests in those final days, and he was on promoting Crazy Heart. I didn't know anything about Jeff Bridges' relationship with country music, but I did know he was starring in this movie. I was so delighted when I found out he was a legitimate musician. He strutted up on the stage and sang a song for Conan, and I instantly decided I needed to see the movie.

He stars as "Bad" Blake, a country singer who was once popular but is now reduced to performing in dive bars and bowling alleys to make a few bucks. His protege is now popular mainstream artist, and Bad's only hope in reviving his career is to be the opening band and write a few songs for him. Bad agrees to do an interview with the niece of a pianist, and they hit it off. Instead of wanting to move on to the next girl he meets, Bad takes interest in her and her little boy. But Bad's addiction to alcohol and destructive ways threatens to get in the way of his own success and happiness.

I know it may not sound exactly like it, but in a way, it felt like I was watching The Wrestler again while watching this movie. There's a former star, he has his vices, and those vices are killing him. There's a woman, and she may be his redemption, etc., etc. Fortunately, a familiar plot is not a bad thing so long as there aren't too many cliches, as I discussed in my Avatar review. The one unfortunate thing is that this movie came out only a year after The Wrestler.

Thankfully, the characters themselves are what make the movie legitimate. The writing, direction, and acting all lend to a very natural feeling. Jeff Bridges' personality is familiar, but authentic. I don't feel like the movie fully establishes what causes the spark between him and Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, but the two work alongside each other in perfect stride.

And of course, the music itself is one of the main characters. At first, the movie almost feels too much like a light telling of Bad traveling down the road playing several gigs. It pauses for entire songs and there are plenty of them. But the songs are actually portrayed by real musicians. Bridges is legit, as is Colin Farrell, who plays his protege Tommy Sweet. I really appreciated that this wasn't another musician movie that cut back and forth between shots of the actor and shots of a musician's hands playing the guitar. One of my major pet peeves in movies is how poorly filmmakers usually handle covering up an actor's lack of music skills. Here, they just let the music ride, and I was able to sit back and enjoy its authenticity.

While Bad's character did draw me in and make me reflect a little bit, this movie does not pack a huge emotional impact. The use of Gyllenhaal's son as a device was a little bit cliched to me, and Bad's connection to her feels friendly but not much more. The final direction of the movie is a little bit lighter than I would have preferred as well - I would perhaps have skipped the very final scene, since it didn't seem necessary for a feeling of closure.

Overall, Crazy Heart was a good movie with a great performance and plenty of fine music. I think it's worth the watch for Bridges as Bad, and hands-down think he should win the Oscar (since Sam Rockwell didn't even get nominated).