M&M Mini Review: Crazy Heart

First time Writer/Director Scott Cooper has done a great job on his first film, "Crazy Heart" with Jeff Bridges, the man he wrote the script for. Its comparisons to "The Wrestler".

The Hollywood marketing and hype have compared this story of a has been down on his luck has drawn comparisons to last year's comeback of the year, "The Wrestler" for Mickey Rourke. There are parallels and similarities but Scott Cooper is not Darren Aranofsky. Aranofsky had many films under his belt and Rourke had something to prove. It was a role Rourke had been unconsciously method acting the last twenty years.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, an older country singer run down by decades of alcohol and life on the road. This movie takes time to get rolling. What is surprising is you don't like Bad Blake. He's a jerk for the first hour or so of the film. His drinking keeps him from functioning. The film gets its energy from Collin Farrell, Robert Duvall and even Maggie Gyllenhaal who I don't like but keeps sneaking into good films. The story is true to itself and doesn't get wrapped up in a nice bow for everyone. It's good it just isn't great every frame.

It is unfair to compare it to "The Wrestler" because it's not trying to be that film and it is not anywhere in its scope going to be "The Wrestler."

Mickey Rourke's Randy the Ram, you were with him the whole film. You were with him when he was wrestling. You were with him in his struggle to work at a grocery store. You were with him when he tried to patch things up with his daughter. Your heart fell for him when he blew it time and again.

You don't have that same love and investment in Bad Blake and Jeff Bridges. This is still an enjoyable film but it's not going to make you cry. It's not going to make you cheer. It's just what it is. No harm in that.