Those who feverishly follow live music performances may relate more closely to this film than most. But I doubt that even country music fans would get much out of if by way of musical enjoyment. Jeff Bridges does play and sing, as do Colin Farrell and some others, but most of the music is in short segments. And those, often with interruptions or breaks of some sort. Mostly this is a movie about a musician years past his prime, who makes his living playing to the middle-aged folks who liked his music in the past. He does this in restaurants, bowling alleys, and bars. Part of his being beyond his prime is his lifestyle. Bridges plays Bad Blake, an alcoholic who writes and sings "authentic" country western tunes. But, he hasn't done anything new in years. Now he goes from town to town across the Western U.S., playing for a living. He stays in sleazy or rundown motels. The rest of his lifestyle includes bedding down whatever camp follower presents herself for the night. A romance enters his life in a much younger woman who has a four-year-old son. It's as though this one particular acquaintance on the road clicks where none before have. That's a little hard to believe. But the dysfunction of Blake's person and lifestyle finally wake up Jean (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal), who calls it quits. This apparently has been different enough from Blake's usual encounters that it leads him to despair and he finally asks for help to battle his alcoholism. While not the way Blake wants it, the film has a sort of hopeful and appropriate ending. The film is based on a 1987 novel of the same title, by Thomas Cobb. That story was inspired by honky-tonk country-Western musician Hank Thompson (1925-2007). Bridges won the Academy Award for best actor for his role. This isn't the type of film that offers musical entertainment, as do most musicals. It's not fun picture to watch, but some viewers may appreciate it for the drama and Blake's rehab.

Bad Blake, played by Jeff Bridges, is a down and out country singer who is an alcoholic. He gets involved with Maggie Gyllenhaal's character and her young son. So they're having a great time, hanging out, he's taking the son places, and come on, you know exactly what's going to happen. He loses sight of the boy and for some reason, can't find him until she arrives. Really? My parents lost me quite a bit growing up and my mom never left my dad, lol. It was my fault. Why would he have been far from the bar? Why would he have told him to explore the place? Why didn't the bartender offer to call security to help him instead of being a jerk? It's contrived writing like this to create conflict that kills movies for me. It's annoying. It was a good movie until that point, it's a shame.

Frequently compared to 'Tender Mercies', both films feature ageing, alcoholic country singers finding new love and newfound success, however, 'Crazy Heart' spins a noticeably different story. Most notably, the character of Bad Blake (played by Jeff Bridges) in 'Crazy Heart' is still an active singer at the start of the film and one who has zero interest dealing with his alcohol problem. This in turns renders Blake a more interesting character as he has to find it in himself to recognise how much alcohol is ruining his life. He also has a lot more personal growth as he becomes aware that his hedonistic lifestyle is not compatible with his newfound romance. Whatever the case, Bridges shines in the lead role which almost feels tailor-made to his sensibilities; in fact, the very first scene of the film places Bridges at a bar in a bowling alley in an obvious reference to 'The Big Lebowski' - the title character of which has some curious similarities to Blake. There were some questions raised at the time as to whether Bridges deserved to win the Oscar that year or whether it was more of a lifetime achievement award. Viewing the film though, it is hard to imagine how such concerns ever came about as this is easily one of his finest turns. The less said about also Oscar nominated Maggie Gyllenhaal the better though as her romance with Bridges never quite rings true. The film is also set back by the frequency of the musical numbers, which sometimes get in the way of the story developing. That said, the songs ARE that good with Bridges even doing his own singing.

Saw this movie tonight and I have to say: what a good surprise! It made me realize so many things and so many thoughts crossed my mind. First of all, a special honour to one of the greatest actors alive: Jeff Bridges. He is the movie! Such a good acting! This movie is such an inspiration because it can give us a refreshing perspective of life and it's all based in one sentence: It's never too late to change! It's never too late to make a new path, to love, to rebuild yourself as a person! Everybody say that life's too short ... well, this movie shows exactly that you've got to keep moving forward no matter what bad things or bad choices you make. Just keep living, keep doing good things and you'll always get payback! Highly recommended movie.