This is an old review from a couple of years back (2009). But it explains why Jeff Bridges is one of MY favorite actors. He’s done TRON and he is again nominated for “True Grit” in the upcoming Oscars Feb 28, 2011 (Manila Time). In this current role he’s an alcoholic cowboy, big surprise.

Written by

Jude Thaddeus L. Bautista

Jeff Bridges always had the knack of playing tragically flawed characters and making them sympathetic. In “Fisher King” he was Jack Lucas a ‘Shock Jock’, an acerbic radio talk show host much like Howard Stern, who was on top of the world. That is until one of his exaggerated comments about “open firing on a bunch of yuppies in a hip bar” to a disturbed caller came to fruition. His world crashed down, the once powerful “King of all Media” became an alcoholic and homeless.

In that movie he recovered his career, a track shot tilted up to his triumphant face as he got off a limo. Heavy beats, blaring synthesizers from the song “The Power” by Snap was in the background. The rap song instantly became a hit when the movie was released in 1991.

There’s no surprise that music always seemed to follow Bridges in nearly all of his roles. In the “Fabulous Baker Boys” he was the other half of two brothers who were talented pianists. They became relegated to playing cheap hotel lounges until they auditioned Susie Diamond played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Jeff acted across his real life brother Beau Bridges. Both exhibited real musical talent during the film which was critically acclaimed in the eighties. There was also a strong theme towards alcoholism and smoking.

Jeff Bridges with Maggie Gylenhall (photo by Lorey Sebastian from official website)

Now that Jeff is older nearly all of his films has made him perfect for his role in “Crazy Heart.” In it he plays Bad Blake, an aging country singer who’s seen better days, battling guess what, alcoholism and a failing health. He plays the guitar flawlessly just like his character based on the novel by Thomas Cobb. As pathetic as Bad Blake is in terms of finances and health, the poetry of song writing was something that still “just pours out” of him. Bridges’ vocal skills were never impressive in the technical sense where he hits high or powerful notes. Instead there’s this sincerity, vulnerability to it that captures the right emotion. No one could have played Bad Blake the way Bridges so masterfully did. The voice is raspy and low but sounds like it comes from the heart or deeper like the gut.

The film was nominated for 3 Oscars: Best Song, Best Supporting Actress Maggie Gylenhall along with him as a shoo in as Best Actor. Bridges has been nominated for an Oscar five other times without winning. The field this year however is tough George Clooney (Up in the Air), Collin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker). None of them brings as much of himself and his past as much as Bridges does in “Crazy Heart.” Last year Mickey Rourke won a Golden Globe for the role of Randy in “The Wrestler”. Bridges also won a Golden Globe like Rourke. They both come from the same generation and have been respected actors for so long. The roles that got them recent recognition are quite similar in some aspects to their own lives.

Jeff Bridges sings from the heart in his role as Bad Blake (photo by Lorey Sebastian from official website)

Collin Farrell plays Tommy Sweet, in “Crazy Heart”. Blake despises the younger Sweet who used to be his apprentice / band mate who has struck it big. The young apprentice has top ten hits and has a dozen tour buses along with twelve thousand people in his concerts. Blake drives himself in a ‘78 Suburban playing in bars of small towns in the edge of nowhere. Farrell makes a good account of himself as a successful Country singer in spite of his thick Irish accent in real life. Maggie Gylenhall was nominated for her role as Jean Craddock. She’s the young mother who falls in love with Blake. Although she was impressive, her performance wasn’t as deserving as the other nominees.

Throughout the film audiences are transported to prairies, powder blue skies and the open road. There’s so much of the American heartland that is spectacular. Jeff Bridges has played so many roles that have become part of the psyche of film fans around the world. He represents the broken American hero who overcomes in spite of himself.