Crazy Heart

For the soundtrack, see Crazy Heart (soundtrack). For the Hank Williams song, see Crazy Heart (Hank Williams song).

Crazy Heart
Theatrical release poster
Directed byScott Cooper
Screenplay byScott Cooper
Based onCrazy Heart
by Thomas Cobb
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBarry Markowitz
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
Running time
112 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[1]
Box office$47.4 million[1]

Crazy Heart is a 2009 American drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 1987 novel[3] of the same name by Thomas Cobb, the story was inspired by country singer Hank Thompson.[4] Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall, the film follows an alcoholic country singer and songwriter who tries to turn his life around after beginning a relationship with a young journalist. Bridges, Farrell, and Duvall also sing in the film.

Filming took place in 2008 throughout New Mexico, as well as Houston and Los Angeles. Original music for the film was composed by T Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton, and Ryan Bingham. It was dedicated to Bruton, who died the same year the film was made. The film was produced by Country Music Television and was originally acquired by Paramount Vantage for a direct-to-video release,[5][6] but was later purchased by Fox Searchlight Pictures for theatrical release.[7]

Crazy Heart opened in theaters in the United States on December 16, 2009.[8] From its $7 million budget, it amassed domestic earnings of $39.5 million plus $7.9 international for a worldwide total of $47.4 million.[1] The film was met with critical acclaim and received three nominations at the 82nd Academy Awards, winning Best Actor for Bridges and Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind", written by Bingham and Burnett.

  1. ^ a b c d "Crazy Heart". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  2. ^ "Crazy Heart (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 21, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Cobb, Thomas (1987). Crazy Heart. San Francisco: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-015803-4.
  4. ^ Lewis, Randy (December 2, 2009). "Hank Thompson: 'Crazy Heart's' real-life Bad Blake". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  5. ^ Cieply, Michael (November 1, 2009). "A Surprise Gets Buzz for Oscars". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  6. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (November 2, 2009). "Crazy Heart – Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  7. ^ "Fox Searchlight Pictures Acquires 'Crazy Heart'". Content.FoxSearchlight.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  8. ^ "Oscar Watch: 'Crazy Hearts Bridges Joins Actors Fray". Anne Thompson/Blogs.IndieWire.com. Retrieved November 4, 2009.