Crazy Heart - Jeff Bridges photo by Lorey Sebastian
Writer and director Scott Cooper counts his lucky stars
By Nathan Lerner
You may have noticed a Hollywood film crew shooting on location right here in Albuquerque. Various locals were hired for the vehicle, which made ample use of non-professionals in the cast. The resulting drama, “Crazy Heart,” has now been released to critical acclaim. The movie has generated a Golden Globe for its star, Jeff Bridges, and another one for best original song.
“Crazy Heart” chronicles Bad Blake, a down and out country singer/songwriter. Once an icon of the genre, he’s become encumbered with a litany of ex-wives and a serious drinking problem. The erstwhile star has been reduced to the status of a dissolute vagabond. Bad drives a battered Dodge to demeaning gigs in dive bars bars and bowling alleys, where he’s backed up by local pick up bands.
The novel as blueprint
“Crazy Heart” is written and directed by Scott Cooper. The 39-year old Cooper was born and raised in Abingdon, Virginia, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Speaking in a mild Southern accent, he recounted. “I cut my teeth on bluegrass musicians, listening to Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, and Doc Watson.” Originally, Cooper had hoped to do a straight biopic of Merle Haggard. Instead, he ended up adapting the novel by Thomas Cobb. Cooper noted, “I tried to stay true to the spirit of the novel, but if you’re a filmmaker, you try to personalize it in what you want to say.” He elaborated, “I took liberties by personalizing it as I know it, basing things on people I knew who suffered through alcoholism or some of the great radio heroes I grew up on and how they wrote about their life experiences. You use the novel as a blueprint and embellish from there.” He noted, “I made it fictionalized as opposed to a straight biopic.”
Friends in high places
How did Cooper segue from a struggling actor to helming a feature film? It seemingly stems from his relationship with actor/director/producer Robert Duvall , whom he describes as his “mentor.” The two men met on the set of the Civil War epic, “Gods and Generals.” Duvall portrayed General Robert E. Lee, while Cooper was relegated to a significantly less substantive role. According to Cooper, “After seeing my work, Duvall thought I should have had one of the lead roles. He really liked my approach to the work. He likes actors and directors who don’t push the emotion.” Their relationship grew. “I had dinner with him soon thereafter. We ended up becoming very close. We shared similar tastes in actors and films. I ended up getting married on his farm in Virginia.” He added, “I’m blessed to now have a 10-year relationship with him. I count him as one of my closest friends.”
Character building
Cooper wrote the role specifically for Jeff Bridges. Cooper recounted that when Duvall expressed interest in producing the film, “I told him if I can’t get Jeff Bridges, I shouldn’t make this movie. He was the only one who could play this part. He’s a musician and very good guitarist and shares the physicality of people like Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.” Cooper described the collaborative relationship that he developed with Bridges, “We worked very closely for a year, working on the music together and shaping the character. I inundated him with music that influenced me while writing. I gave him lots of concert footage of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings performing. So, he really embodied that outlaw sensibility of these guys.” Referencing the country supergroup of Cash, Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, Cooper described how he imagined Bad Blake, “He would have been the fifth member of The Highwaymen .”
Cooper discussed his approach to writing and directing “Crazy Heart.” “It all harkens back to ‘70s filmmaking, where character is emphasized more than plot. I wanted to build up who this man was. I had to address that he was a man who realizes he has flaws and faults. Ultimately, he has to find redemption if he’s going to grow as an artist and person. I made it impressionistic because it is a movie, not a documentary.” He added, “I would have loved to have told the story in two and a half hours, but studio politics don’t let you do that anymore. So you have to pick and choose wisely, decide on how best to tell the story. I think we did it in a way that lets you figure who this man was as he’s continuing towards this redemptive ending. I wanted the pacing to feel lyrical and more languid, kind of like a great country song.”
“Crazy Heart” was made under the aegis of Paramount Vantage. However, the studio folded. It appeared that the film was doomed to go directly to DVD without the benefit of a theatrical release. Fortunately, that dubious distinction was averted when the film was picked up by Fox Searchlight. Beaming broadly, Cooper suggested, “I guess that I was born under a lucky star.”
“Crazy Heart” opens in Albuquerque on January 29, 2010.
Nathan Lerner is a syndicated Film Critic with the Montgomery Newspapers Chain.
Entries (RSS)