100 Words or Less: “Crazy Heart”

Comparisons to The Wrestler are inevitable, but Crazy Heart is a much different film – trading emotional gut-punches for downplayed subtlety. The centerpiece is the Oscar-winning performance by the great Jeff Bridges as a booze-soaked country star turned loser.  Highlights include the surprisingly moving relationship between Bridges’ Bad Blake character and his young successor, played by Colin Farrell.  Unfortunately, the movie only taps into these scenes sporadically and the movie is dominated by the less-inspired love interest involving Maggie Gyllenhaal and her son.  Anticipation for hearing “The Weary Kind” propels the performance-heavy, but plot-light Crazy Heart into a stronger film.