Crazy Heart: Jeff Bridges is more than just Lebowski

Don't get me wrong; the Big Lebowski is one of my favorite films ever. However, this film proved (to me and many others) that Jeff Bridges is a truly wonderful actor and he won (and deserved to win) the best actor Oscar for his performance in this movie.

If you haven't seen this movie yet maybe take a break from the internets for a couple of hours and have a look because it is really something else. You don't need to like country music to appreciate it, that just happens to be the motif of the film. I had NO IDEA that Jeff Bridges could sing at all but according to him, he does all the vocals in the film himself and he does a really really good job of it.

The story follows "Bad Blake," a washed up country star as he tours and travels more and more horrible gigs trying to make a living and the demons he faces on a regular basis as his stardom fades with time. His alcoholism and addiction to being a big star that once was gets the best of him on a regular basis.

I think the main reason why I like it so much is because the music is actually very good and the story is a magnificent tale of getting older and not being entirely willing / capable of dealing with it and this is clearly the case with Bridges' character.

As someone who isn't exactly a "spring chicken" myself, i can relate to this, and the struggle is real. This clip is from when Colin Farell's character Tommy Sweet (who is a current-day country music star in the film, and much younger, invited Bad Blake to open up for him) shows the ability of both of them. They obviously lip-synced for the filming but apparently both of them actually recorded for the soundtrack.

The entire story is tragic as it begins and carries on with Blake (Jeff Bridges) really being down on his luck and having a difficult time accepting that he is a has-been. It shows him playing at horrible gigs and not generally being recognized as the talent he clearly is and at least for me it invited the question of whether or not Blake is his own worst enemy, as many of us tend to be in life.

The soundtrack matches the movie and the tracks are just incredible and stand on their own merit. When Bridges won the Oscar for best actor in 2010 I applauded because I felt as though he truly deserved it because this movie shows how amazing a performer he really is. He is an incredible artist as an actor and now, due to this film, we know that he is also quite a good singer as well (plus he can play guitar.)

The film trailer doesn't really tell you much about what the movie's plot is and perhaps that was their intent. However, it gets the job done.

Seriously, go watch this movie right now... and if you don't have time for that at least listen to "Brand New Angel," which is a song from the movie that moves me to this day.