Chris Dell’Isola is a student at Concord High who is passionate about movies. He’s also a big fan of Red River Theatres, and wanted to help promote the theater by reviewing some of its films. We loved Chris’s style and knew you would, too readers. We are proud to present his first Insider review on “Crazy Heart,” for which star Jeff Bridges just won an academy award.
Because Chris is a creative guy, he came up with his own rating system. It goes like this:
I’d stand in line on Christmas Day = A Masterpiece
I’d go with my friends = Just a lot of fun
I’d bring a date = Good but not great
Only if my mother made me take my little sister = I’ve seen better
I’d rather see a chick flick with my mother = Rubbish
Without further ado, Chris’s review of “Crazy Heart”:
I was excited to see this movie. I’d heard from many friends of mine that this was one of Jeff Bridges’s best performances in years. I myself am a huge fan of his work. I loved him in “The Big Lebowski,” “Fearless” and “The Men Who Stare At Goats.” I anticipated another Oscar-worthy performance from him, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The character of Bad Blake was perfect for Jeff — he was born to play it. Throughout the entire film I completely lost Jeff Bridges the actor and only saw Bad Blake the country legend. I wish I could say the same for Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played Jean Craddock the journalist/love interest. Don’t get me wrong, I love Maggie but she just didn’t do anything spectacular in this film. I only saw her playing herself. I’m not sure the director didn’t write the part for Maggie and cast Maggie because he wanted Maggie, but compared to Jeff Bridges she was a disappointment.
That’s not to say the movie was without any flaws, I thought that the script was rushed, flat and very disappointing. I thought that the romance between Bad Blake and Jean was overplayed and obvious, you knew they were going to get together eventually but it should have happened after you got to know the characters a bit. Overall I’d “bring a date” to this movie, it is an enjoyable film and worth a watch. See it playing at Red River theaters from now until March 11th.
“Crazy Heart” is playing at Red River Theatres through Thursday, March 17. Visit redrivertheatres.org for times and ticket information.