Even “The Village Voice” liked this movie. I liked it too but my expectations were too high. I found it hard to forgive the totally unnecessary, contrived, phony crisis that you could see coming a mile away.
Roger Ebert mentioned that a friend of his compared it to “The Wrestler”. I did too, but not to its advantage. Both films are about old, failed entertainers trying for one last shot at redemption. Both of the heroes fall short. But “The Wrestler” did not make the compromises “Crazy Heart” made. It didn’t pander. It didn’t become dishonest. When Bad writes his new song and Jean gets all weepy because now she’ll only remember her bed as the place Bad wrote that great song in before he left her… awful.
The other movie I thought of was “Once”. “Once” did something remarkable: it set you up for a song that is supposed to be great and delivered. Better yet– it didn’t force the actors to stand around afterwards telling you what a great song that was that you just heard– it just delivered it. Beautifully. The most memorable shot: the drummer, in the studio, listening for the rhythm. In “Crazy Heart”, he would have flashed a godawful grin at just how fabulous this poor misunderstood artist was. The director wouldn’t have cared what a drummer really looks like– he would only be concerned about hammering it home to the audience that this is a great song. He wouldn’t have trusted the audience to draw their own conclusion. In “Once”– amazingly– you can see the drummer listening for his rhythm.
Bad doesn’t seem to have a singing voice when he’s working on a new song. He doesn’t handle a guitar like a career performer handles a guitar. His dialogue with the sound crew at the concert with Tommy Sweet struck me as contrived: it’s too tidily what I think they think you think it would sound like.
I also had trouble believing that Jean would fall in love that quickly or easily with washed up, alcoholic, smelly old Bad Blake. I was waiting for the moment of charm or amusement or inspiration. Instead, I saw the neediness, the carelessness, and the desperation. Those are not usually attractive traits. “Crazy Heart” was in too much of a hurry to move on. It didn’t take up the challenge. When does she begin to see romantic possibilities, and why?