Scott Cooper's new film Crazy Heart is a movie about great acting. This is a quiet little film that generates big time emotion courtesy of Jeff Bridges, a veteran actor who may have found the role of a lifetime in Bad Blake. There isn't much of plot here. Crazy Heart is purely character driven and might be best described as a fusion of Tender Mercies and The Wrestler. Bridges appears to be channeling Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard as Bad Blake bares a striking resemblance to both men. As an aging, down on his luck, country musician, Bridges dares to go into some pretty dark terrain as a veteran performer whose life has been taken over by a constant need for excess.

We've seen movies like this before, but Bridge's instinctive choices as an actor make the proceedings feel fresh. Not only does Bridges go through a physical and mental transformation here, but he also does his own singing, and I'll be darned if he doesn't hit all the right notes. Further props to T-Bone Burnett for his outstanding song contributions. Maggie Gyllenhaal lends her considerable talents in a supporting role of a woman who succumbs to Bad Blake's charms, and while I didn't entirely buy into the relationship, I found Gyllenhall to be effective and sincere. Robert Duvall has a terrific bit part as the proprietor of a bar and Colin Farrell is surprisingly good as Bad Blake's protégé, a country superstar who'd love nothing more than to give back to the icon who showed him the way to success.

Crazy Heart is one of those little films that really sneaks up on you and while it isn't exactly a movie for mass audiences, it will greatly appeal to those who love good acting. Jeff Bridges will most certainly garner a much deserved Oscar nomination for his work here.