crazy heart

Jeff Bridges was cast as an alcoholic country music artist in the 2009 movie Crazy Heart. The story involved a singer-songwriter’s  slide toward death, and late redemption. He finds and loses the love of a writer played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and having abandoned his own four-year-old son years before, he connects with her child of the same age.

The movie was strong on several levels: It portrayed alcohol dependence well. It dealt with fatherhood and psychological maturity. It had a theme of fulfilling one’s promise, or not, based on being able to cope and function adaptively.

When I was young, I thought there was honor in being a misfit. The idea of being a brooding, troubled rebel seemed romantic. With the counterculture as a backdrop, and an insistence on doing things my way, I saw little but hypocrisy in becoming part of what was called “the establishment.” Although I no longer idealize being troubled, I still find it a challenge to follow advice, make wise choices, have patience, and be disciplined. Crazy Heart made me think about these issues again.