This is the second movie i had a question about yet i could not post it on the FAQ. I was just curious as to what happened to Jane's baby?

It is really difficult to do something new about a jazz musician with a frenzied personal life be it women, alcohol, drugs or all three because it seems that all great jazz musicians had the same issues.Born to be Blue is a lower scale film but thematically not too different from Bird directed by Clint Eastwood back in 1988.Chet Baker was known for his west coast jazz sound. He also had problems with drug addiction and going in and out of prison. When he has his teeth smashed and has to wear dentures, Baker has to learn how to play the jazz trumpet again as well as stay clean when those around him are doubtful.Ethan Hawke gives a gut wrenching performance as Baker trying to start all over again as a musician when previously it had been all so easy. Now no one wants to give him another chance as he has let down so many people down in the past. The film though is low wattage and offers little new though.

This is the title of another recent movie about a musician named Baker, but it could also be the words told by the female protagonist's father to his daughter. "Born to Be Blue" is a Canadian/British co-production that premiered already in 2015, but the fact that it took until now for the film to reach German theaters says a lot about the subject and people's appreciation for it. But first things first. The writer and director is Robert Budreau from Canada and this movie runs for roughly 95 minutes. In the center of it all is musician Chet Baker, played competently by Ethan Hawke. I would not call it a biopic because it really does not focus on the early years and also not on the late years, basically it's all about the time when his career is in danger and we see how he does (not) manage to get back on trail. Oscar nominee Hawke once again proves here that he is lead actor material without a doubt, also when it's not Richard Linklater in charge of things. His female co-lead is Carmen Ejogo and she is really good as well. It's that kind of performance that gets nominated for a Supporting Oscar because of how much screen time she has and how important she is for the film while being actually lead, just not as much of a lead as Hawke obviously. I also believe the two had great chemistry during all their scenes together and that's basically the entire film.I personally felt that something was missing when Ejogo was not on screen for a little while like towards the end for example before she returns and makes it a really great ending, somewhat of an unhappy ending I suppose, even if there is of course a success component to it. The only scene I did not like with the two was really the bed scene as the parallels between sex and playing the trumpet / making music ("hold that note the entire night") were a bit on the embarrassing side they were depicted there. But it's all good. It is just subjective anyway and I pretty much liked the entire rest, even if the film somewhat lacks truly great moments. It is a good watch for 1.5 hours nonetheless. And this comes from somebody who is not even that much into trumpet music at all.Now back to my very early comment. Why did it take so long for the film to make it to German theaters. I suppose it is that general audiences here will have no clue at all who Chet Baker was. This certainly does not include people who like his kind of music and I have heard that he is considered one of the greatest trumpet players ever. Hell I have even read somebody say he is the greatest musician ever. But it is always a toughie with films about musicians, not just here in Germany, but also in general, also in the US. Even those films that get the best reception by awards bodies and critics like "Walk the Line" or "Ray" and others do not reach box office numbers that truly make a difference and motivate people to make more films about musicians. And don't get me started on films about musicians that weren't really that famous. Does anybody remember Kevin Spacey or Dustin Hoffman or Forest Whitaker for the legendary musicians they portrayed? Things probably aren't looking much better with films about fictitious musicians like Llewyn Davis, even if masters like the Coen Bros are in charge. It's a heavy subject for general audiences. There are many many people in the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame whose music is still loved and remembered today and they will probably never get a biopic about them. Oh my, I cannot even think about (non-documentary) films about Elvis or the Beatles.Now back to this movie we have here. I liked it and all my criticisms are really just minor. For example, I would have liked more and crucial inclusions of the color blue if they go with this title. Admittedly the title is also a good choice in terms of describing Baker's final decision against his girl and for the drugs. He took the blue path. There is no denying that as a whole this film has a lot more positive to offer compared to the negative and I would agree that this is certainly one of the more overlooked movies of the year, even if I can somewhat understand why given the subject. This does not justify it though. You may want to work against that tendency and check out "Born to Be Blue". Like myself, you don't even need a special interest in Chet Baker or trumpets to appreciate this one. Liking Ethan Hawke as much as I do will certainly help things too. Go see it.

Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) gains early fame for his West Coast Swing. Miles Davis dismisses him as White Men's Hope. Drug addiction breaks up his marriage to Elaine (Carmen Ejogo). Years later, he is struggling. He meets actress Jane (Carmen Ejogo) who is playing Elaine in his movie. His drug dealer smashes his face for not paying. He loses the movie and his ability to play. Even his producer friend Dick Bock (Callum Keith Rennie) has had enough. With Jane's help, he lives in a van and slowly regains his trumpet playing.The flow is idiosyncratic like jazz. I also would like more of his early drug addiction downfall. There are some good character work from Ethan Hawke. There isn't a overriding drama but it has good some personal moments. This is solid work from Hawke but the movie is a bit slow as a whole.