Writer: Lai Swee Wei

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Effects: NA
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Watch this if you liked: “Tender Mercies”

"Crazy Heart" conveys a story that takes a while to lock in your attention. A washed up country singer-songwriter Bad Blake, played by Jeff Bridges, struggles to makes a change in his life for the better after meeting an aspiring journalist named Jean, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. He's a legend in the country-and-western scene, but he's 57, broke and no longer even afforded the dignity of running a tab at the bars.

Kenny Rogers lookalike Jeff Bridges is no doubt a fine actor together with the very slim Maggie Gyllenhaal, but the drama that is being put on the plate leaves no mark of interest. Bad is an alcoholic who is angry at just about everything, from what might have been in his personal life (where he has an abandoned son out there) to the fact that his charming protege Tommy Sweet (a spot-on Colin Farrell) is hugely successful, mainly on the basis of having turned one of Bad's songs into a smash hit. Bad would tell you Tommy's career was never the one he was after, but given how used up he feels by his life in music, it's only natural that he points the blame to the person who most obviously used him.

Then, we have the breath of fresh air reporter popping in and out of picture together with her 4-year-old son. In the early stages of their interview together, the romance quickly escalates, leaving no room for lengthy introductions, and before you know it, they're kissing and getting into each other's pants. As gruff as he looks, Bad is a driven soul who willingly pushes himself to journey hundreds of miles a day to play a gig or see Jean. As he tries to build the relationship, but he soon hits a do-or-die stage on several fronts simultaneously. He's got to kick his alcoholic habits, write new songs again to help himself financially, and romantically needs to prove himself to Jean when things go wrong. As in a good country song, with the bitter comes the sweet.

Speaking of songs, if you're into country music, then you should be able to enjoy the songs in this one as there are a lot of it. Moreover the real-life concert setting delivers a convincing feel to the performance scenes, as so do the solid vocals by Bridges and Farrell.

Overall, this drama shows nothing more than a stale country singer's struggle to make his life work out for the better.

Cinema Online, 04 March 2010