Crazy HeartMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Crazy Heart."

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Avg. Critic Score: 83 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 Iffy for 17+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Jeff Bridges is a virtual certainty to win his first Oscar, after four nominations. Read full review

  • 100
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    A small movie perfectly scaled to the big performance at its center. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    On a par with Bridges' acting, and a sine qua non for Crazy Heart's success, is the excellent music he sings. Read full review

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Bridges' guileless performance makes this piquant little indie tale of country music, redemption, and the love of a pretty younger woman such a sad-song charmer. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Ever-youthful in his looks and energy, Bridges now stands as one of Hollywood's great old pros, incapable of making a false move. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Perhaps the idea of watching Jeff Bridges as a drunken, broken-down, down-on-his luck country music singer in Crazy Heart doesn't automatically sound appealing. But think this: "The Wrestler." With good songs. Read full review

  • 75
    Washington Post |

    The virtues of Crazy Heart only begin with Bridges: Music fans will rejoice at the movie's songs. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Crazy Heart, based on a 1987 novel by Thomas Cobb, also has great music. Even if you're not a country music fan, the songs, by T Bone Burnett and the late Stephen Bruton, are infectious. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Even when you know what's coming, Crazy Heart haunts you like a classic country song. It's a mesmerizer. So is Bad Blake. This dude also abides. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Crazy Heart lacks that spark of originality. So what Fox Searchlight has salvaged essentially is a highly watchable performance by Bridges, one of many he has furnished throughout a long career. Read full review

View more reviews for Crazy Heart on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 17+ Bridges shines in adult tale of alcohol and country music.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Crazy Heart -- which follows a middle-aged musician's (Jeff Bridges) failing career and the major drinking problem that's contributing to that failure -- is clearly aimed at grown-ups. Unless teens have an interest in classic country music (or in actor Colin Farrell, who has a small supporting role), it's unlikely that they'll be clamoring to see it. In the event that they are, they'll find plenty of food for thought and some good music ... as well as some very strong language (especially during the movie's first half) and tons of drinking (including drunk driving), until the main character has an important wake-up call.
  • Families can talk about the conseqeunces of drinking a lot. Does it lead to alcoholism? What are the consequences Bad pays for drinking? How does the media usually portray drinking?
  • How does Bad's alcoholism impact his relationships with others (including Tommy and Jean)? What about his feelings about himself?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: The movie isn't exactly a "feel-good drama," but it does have underlying positive messages. Bad starts out in a rut, his fame and glory faded, but eventually he finds the strength to strive toward something better, overcoming the problems that keep him down. He reaches rock bottom before climbing back up, but the movie celebrates his bravery and dedication.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Bad starts out the exact opposite of a positive role model. He's a drunk, he has a son he hasn't spoken to in decades, he holds a grudge toward his former protégée, he feels sorry for himself, he neglects his gift for writing songs, and his career is in the dumps. But a new friendship/relationship inspires him to improve himself from the ground up, which is a powerful example. Jean is an admirable character: a working single mother who seems to have her head screwed on straight.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: Some verbal uprisings from time to time -- mostly Jean (and sometimes others) confronting Bad about his drinking. But Bad rarely fights back and never lifts a finger against anyone.
  • sex false3 Sex: Jean and Bad do a lot of kissing -- open-mouthed and not shy. There are no sex scenes, but it's definitely suggested that they've slept together. They wake up in the same bed and are apparently naked under the covers (no real nudity is shown). Earlier in the film viewers see Bad leaving a groupie's bed; again, sex is suggested rather than shown. Another groupie openly flirts with Bad in a bar, suggesting a night of wild passion.
  • language false3 Language: Bad frequently uses the kind of language you might expect from a road-weary, drunken, veteran musician, including "f--k" and "f--kin'," "s--t," "ass," "goddamn," "Jesus Christ" (used as an exclamation), "hell," and the abbreviated "sumbitch." That said, the swearing grows less frequent as the movie goes on.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: The only real products seen are the various bottles of booze consumed by Bad, though none of it is deliberately or blatantly referred to by brand.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: One of the movie's two main plotlines has to do with Bad's out-of-control drinking. He drinks constantly, mostly hard liquor, and he grows agitated (though never violent) if he can't get it. Viewers see him leaving the stage during a show to throw up in a garbage can; he throws up again later and passes out on his bathroom floor. He drives drunk, and he takes gulps of alcohol to stop his shaking hands. His wake-up call comes when his need for a drink endagers someone he cares about -- a turning point that ultimately leads him down the road to recovery.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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