They say every great character significantly changes over the course of their story from one extreme to the next for the better and they learn a lesson, if so, Bad Blake could fit into that category. Jeff Bridges' amalgamation of Jeffery "dude" Lebowski and Randy "the Ram" rolled into a down and out country singer struggling to make ends meet financially as well as physically. This movie drew a lot of comparisons to "The Wrestler" for me, two men who once were at the top of their particular art, only to have hung on for the rest of their lives because it was the only thing they were great at, long past their prime. Both men still have much to offer, but the person who knows it the least might be each of them. Both men have estranged children they have since neglected and both seem to be knocking on death's door. Both also find a younger woman, mothers to be precise, that they have found some new life in, reinvigorated their spirits so to speak. Where both films succeed is these aren't men who go out and do something the world remembers, they both fight their own internal battles and plod along at the same thing they've bee doing for as long as they can remember and that is complete honesty in their characters.
The opening scene is played masterfully by Bridges, and his first scene is him stepping out of a dingy old pickup with his pants unbuckled, while he mutters, "fucking bowling alley," in reference to his latest gig. One can't help but think of the sport Bridges will probably long be associated with due to his character "The Dude."
The movie is a slow process of uncovering all the messes Blake has let his life become and they start unraveling after he meets a reporter interviewing him named Jean. Besides being a country music icon, it's hard for me to draw any other discernable quality this young lady would find appealing in Blake, as that's one of the things stumping me as the film rolls on. Not only is she attracted to him and sleeps with him but she opens up her house and her young fatherless son to his affections, only to, in the end, find her original assumptions of Bad being an irresponsible surrogate father true, which makes you wonder why she bothered in the first place. But they do have some great moments together such as their original interview segments and Bad's desperate plea for a 2nd chance.
Overall the film was very enjoyable as Jeff Bridges lived and breathed in Bad Blake's skin and let us into his mind and heart. He's constantly being praised as a terrific songwriter which we get to hear a good number of his tunes but I would have liked a little more emphasis on how such a broken man comes up with that stuff: guess his explanation of "they are my life" will suffice, to the question of where does he come up with his lyrics. A great choice, Hooks.
It's ironic we both thought of The Wrestler but there's definitely a case for that I think. I didn't pick up on the bowling alley association with The Dude but it's right there. I liked Blake's "desperate plea for a 2nd chance" also, a fairly subtle scene, but full of power and real human emotion.
ReplyDeletethere's another scene where he falls down straight on his face, identically as in lebowski too. I think the movie totally feels like a parallel road to the Wrestler, also thought it interesting how they both end, Randy just keeps pushing while Bad sort of repairs himself
ReplyDeleteGood girls love bad boys. Maybe the problem lies in the fact that Jean is intended to be a sympathetic character when in actuality she routinely shrugs her parental responsibilities in an effort to relive some sort of teenage groupie fantasy. But in a straight forward move the young single mother is the victim though her actions should leave us to question her role in her situation.
ReplyDeleteI think also because Jean had such a terrible relationship (which brought about Buddy), she saw honesty and simplicity in Bad, so that's why she fell for him.
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