Crazy Heart
Country music, the soulful bleeding heart brand of country music, works by forming a bond of anguish with the listener. The music itself is generally very simple, it's the message that matters. The artist's job is to portray the idea that his life has been so tough as to make the listener's seem brighter by comparison. Jeff Bridges, one of film's great treasures, plays Bad Blake, a hard luck former country star just trying to get by. He's been through multiple marriages, has children he's never seen, and worse he's an alcoholic. He's the type of guy who has a beer with his Cheerios....minus the Cheerios. He was a real star once, but the times have changed. Now he struggles to get by performing in bowling alleys and dive bars, where his name draws a small but devoted crowd who remember him from his glory days.
Maggie Gylennhall plays Jean, a woman who just might be the cure for all Bad's problems. A single mother with a penchant for dating bad guys, she enters into a relationship with bad with understandable caution. Bad's problems run deep, and the story offers no simple solutions or easy fixes. She might or not be enough, and the question becomes if it's even worth the bother. Colin Farrell, who I'm surprised the ads are excluding from mention, plays Bad's protege Tommy. Tommy's a big star on the scene now, and his success has rubbed Bad the wrong way over the years.
Crazy Heart is a good film, but not a great one. Jeff Bridges is the best thing about it, and his performance is one for the ages, on par with Mickey Rourke's in The Wrestler. He imbues Bad Blake with enough vulnerability that peeks through his steely, macho facade. You can see the decades of pain in his eyes,as well as the easy tough guy charm he commands when in a woman's company. The music was the sticking point, though. I'm no fan of the genre myself, but the words and emotion of the songs fit. Bridges commands the stage like a seasoned pro. Not so much on Colin Farrell when he takes the mic, but he's passable. A film worth checking out for an iconic turn by a modern day legend. Jeff Bridges at his absolute best. 7/10
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Terry Giliam's latest film will likely be remembered for one thing only, and that's the unfortunate demise of it's star: Heath Ledger. Ledger's final performance is a subdued one when compared to his role in The Dark Knight, but I couldn't help but wonder how this would've gone if he had survived? He plays Tony, a mysterious stranger found literally hanging from underneath a bridge by a travelling circus troupe. The group's leader, the ancient Doctor Parnassus(Christopher Plummer), was once a monk who believed that if he stopped telling stories for even a moment, the world would come to an end. When a Satan-like figure named Mr. Nick(Tom Waits) challenges this theory, Parnassus wins and earns the gift of immortality. However, through various other shenanigans, Mr. Nick would eventually win the soul of the Doctor's gorgeous daughter, Valentina(Lily Cole) when she turns 16. That is, unless they can put a stop to Mr. Nick once and for all.
Giliam pulled together seamlessly a story that allowed for it's star to be non-existent. Ledger had already filmed the scenes outside of the magical world of the mirror, so the idea was implemented that one's appearance may change once inside. Jude Law, Colin Farrell, and Johnny Depp take on the many faces of Tony throughout the story. Each actor does a good job portraying a different aspect of Tony's personality. It's a transition that feels fluid and natural, when it could've very well spelled disaster. The acting is not this film's problem for me.
I had a tough time connecting with any of the characters, which is a fault of the threadbare script. Mr. Nick has the juiciest bits, with his mustache that looks like it was drawn in pencil, and his grandiose mannerisms. He plays the trickster like a bombastic showman. I wish there had been more of him. Verne Troy is clearly having a good time as the Doctor's Jiminy Cricket sidekick, Percy. Everyone else comes off as a blank slate that I didn't really care about. I was pretty much rooting for Mr. Nick to win. Valentina might have a little fun hanging out with the devil for awhile.
Broken down into it's simplest parts, the story's premise is remarkably simple. It's a game between one man and a villain for the soul of a girl. But Giliam rarely sticks to a linear path, and often it's the narrative flourishes that derail his films. There are so many detours taken that by the time we're back on track with the core plot, I had stopped caring. The film ends with a noble sacrifice and a mostly happy conclusion. I was barely awake enough to notice. 5/10
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