'Nobody Else Could Have Played That Role' Vol. 1: Jeff Bridges in 'Crazy Heart'

A righteous Best Actor victory!

From the second we lay eyes on Jeff Bridges’ Otis “Bad” Blake, the miles on his soul are as visible as the sweat coated on his cowboy hat. The empty whiskey bottles, assorted motel keys, and a trustworthy guitar round out the story of a man whose current claim to professionalism is never arriving to a show late. That doesn’t mean he’s sober though.

Scott Cooper (Out of the Furnace) made his directorial debut with Crazy Heart, the story of an alcoholic country singer nearing the end of his career, performing hit songs in bowling alleys and dive bars from the past like a charismatic relic jukebox. A has-been who won’t leave the road or stop drinking enough to find out if another life exists, Bad finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s journalist in a small town.

Released 12 years and change ago in the award-season frenzy, Cooper’s film still held a potent power when I viewed it on Amazon Prime (it’s free with a subscription), and the biggest reason for that is Bridges’ captivating work as an imperfect man who won’t stop doing two things he loves: playing music and drinking. Two traits that befall a man who has been divorced four times and doesn’t want to talk about his old bandmate, Tommy Sweet (a very good Colin Farrell).