A one man show elevated by a behind the scenes musical genius. OK... the Oscar nom is validated for me.
Jeff Bridges does an exceptional job portraying worn and torn country singer Bad Blake while the music, done by the incomparable T-Bone Burnett (Cold Mountain, Oh Brother Where Art Thou), adds true grit, pulse, and a backbone to the film.
There are hints of "The Dude" in Bridges' performance but unlike the comical deadbeat in The Big Lebowski, "Bad" is a real person you identify with, sympathize with, and cheer for the entire film. The aging country singer (a real country singer... not candy coated pop-country) is such a careless, reckless, and set in his ways kinda guy, you know bad things are in store for "Bad'' throughout the film. Redemption is inevitable, however, and a satisfying closure comes at the end of the film; like a sunrise and a sunset in one.
In such a one character piece, Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a surprisingly good supporting performance and Colin Farrell is a convincing Keith Urban clone.
Although the plot of the film is somewhat predictable, the real focus is the subtle nuances in the character work. Bridges displays such comfort in this character, you can't help but think Jeff Bridges (the actor) goes out touring on the road in between film projects (a la Russell Crowe). Bad is a real cool cat that ends up good in the end.
It's never too late to start fresh and make amends with yourself. If not for yourself, do it for the hypothetical "other" in your life.
