Thanks to Alejo for forwarding the Apple trailer link to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. I hate to jump on the bandwagon and I’m certainly not going to start in with who was first in calling this — seriously, Kris Tapley is the first person who told me but I know that Anne Thompson and Steve Pond were right there at the same time saying the same thing — all of this to say that, yeah, The Dude may finally see his moment to shine. Let’s take a look back at Jeff Bridges’ brilliant career. Full Disclosure, I’m one of the more devoted followers of The Big Lebowski so I tend to think of Jeff Bridges as family, if not my doppleganger in male form — on screen anyway, as THAT character.
Jeff Bridges has never gotten a fair shake, Oscar-wise. He is always right on the edge but never seemed to have the right stuff at the right moment. And there has always seemed a tiny bit of prejudice where he was concerned. What caused it? Who knows. Maybe the nepotism thing, maybe that he’s also done big blockbuster films like Against All Odds (one of my all-time favorite Bridges performances, though he can kind of do no wrong in my eyes). So here goes:
He became a big deal when he starred in The Last Picture Show. For more on this movie, please get your hands on a copy of Easy Riders and Raging Bulls. His first Oscar nomination – he lost to Ben Johnson from the same film. No one is going to argue there.
So then King Kong, yeah, and Winter Kills, Tron, Against All Odds… Here is where things start to get interesting. He makes Starman and suddenly people are starting to take him a lot more seriously as an actor. Third Oscar nomination (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot for supporting). He was great in Starman but lost to F. Murray Abraham for Amadeus. Again, no one is going to complain. Believe it or not, though, Jeff Bridges did not get an Oscar nomination again until The Contender.
He didn’t get one for Tucker, not for The Fisher King, not for Fearless (!), certainly not for The Big Lebowski (he was robbed), and not for the The Fabulous Baker Boys. Since then, Bridges hasn’t really had much of a shot for serious Oscar consideration until now. And he’s number one with a bullet.
Bridges goes up against Daniel Day Lewis for Nine, Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker, Matt Damon for The Informant, George Clooney for Up in the Air, Viggo Mortensen for The Road, and of course, Colin Firth for A Single Man – to say nothing of Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man. And Morgan Freeman for Invictus, etc. So many men, so little nomination slots.
49 Responses for "Jeff Bridges – Right Place, Right Time"
sasha here’s the youtube version of the trailer just in help,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-AyD661tUE
I think it looks pretty good esp Bridges.
I’ve been a fan of Jeff Bridges since The Last Picture Show. It’s great that this movie may bring him an Oscar. But that performance by Firth is so haunting. And I haven’t seen The Road yet.
I’ll repost a comment I made yesterday:
Bridges has been due for years, and he’ll be even more due next year. I’m not saying all the premature virtual envelope-opening isn’t valid — I haven’t seen the movie yet.
But the role in True Grit is tailor-made for a Oscar win that would resonate in ways much more exciting (for me) than an Oscar for Tender Mercies II.
Jeff Bridges and Mercedes Ruehl in The Fisher King was screen magic. He was not even nominated. He is sooo past due. Count me in as a bandwagon jumper.
Is it just me or is this trailer BEGGING to be compared to “The Wrestler?” Old, washed-up has-been. Younger woman as love interest. The chance to return to stardom.
Also, we all know that it “Crazy Heart” is being released in 2009 just so it could get your studio some nominations, Fox Searchlight, but is it really necessary to remind us how many Oscar nominations Jeff Bridges has, much less tell us that this is “the role of a lifetime?” It feels like they are just whoring themselves to the system.
I’m pretty sure the prophetic Nat Rogers called this last winter.
Or at least he’s the first one I saw mention Bridges… months and months before I saw him mentioned elsewhere.
Can’t wait to see him win. American Heart and The Door in the Floor are my two personal favorites.
I’ve been rooting for Jeff Bridges (along with Jeff Daniels and Jeffrey Wright) for years. He’s deserved more nominations that he’s gotten, and should have been noticed for Door in the Floor (as Joy Fountain notes above). I fear that the Wrestler connection may not be a good one (even sounds like Springsteen in the background) but it sure would be great to see the Academy give Jeff Bridges a standing O for a long deserved Oscar.
If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that the Best Actor Oscar is going to come down to Colin Firth (A Single Man) and Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart). Both deserve nominations and both are long overdue for some recognition. However, had Christoph Waltz been considered for the lead category (which he should be), then it would be a whole new ball game.
“I would say that the Best Actor Oscar is going to come down to Colin Firth (A Single Man) and Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart).”
I wonder if “which is the better movie” will be a factor.
Me and my silly wonderings.
Great write-up of a great actor, Sasha. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for “Tron” and “Lebowski”.
Love the pairing of Bridges and Maggie. I just watched The Door in The Floot this weekend, terrific performance by Bridges.
There’s no conflict in that trailer.
Why do I feel like Robert Duvall steals this trailer out from under Bridges with his one line: “Never too late, son. Never too late.”
Just so I’m clear, this is the prequel to SherryBaby, right?
I too thought it was very similar to The Wrestler , though I am not so sure if Crazy Heart will be as good as Mickey Rourke’s masterpiece.
I really hope Bridges gets that Oscar. He’s probably my favorite actor, and, even with 4 Oscar noms under his belt, he’s still underrated as he has deserved many more.
That song “Crazy Heart” is going to win the Oscar too.
So if it’d be colin firth x jeff bridges. I hope the ending will be similar like last february. Sean penn x mickey rourke. Quite similar role, and the gay one brought the oscar. Yay!
Well this race looks over. As said before, Bridges is a beloved, legendary actor who deserves his due. This looks wonderful. HOWEVER as others have stated before, the trailer is a shameless ripoff of THE WRESTLER trailer and hyping a performance as a “PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME” or “4 TIME OSCAR NOMINEE” comes across as a little pretenious and as if the studio is saying: “GIVE THIS MAN A F–KING OSCAR NOW!!!”
Should have just let the trailer spoken for itself.
And Ryan, good point about TENDER MERCIES 2. Just because Robert Duvall is in this movie does not mean it we are going to forget that a film – a great film at that – was already done about the same subject. Still think it will be good though.
Sasha, also must share my love for two Bridges movies. First one is a little seen gem from 1972 directed by Robert Benton called BAD COMPANY. It’s a great Civil War western that features two future stars (Bridges & writer/director Benton) coming into their own.
The other is the much underappreciated FEARLESS which is maybe as powerful a film as I can think of in recent memory. A remarkable performance and while the film has gained a following since 1993, at the time of its release it seemed to go under the radar (despite Rosie Perez being nominated, very well deserved).
I know this is really shallow and has nothing to do with the movie or him winning an Oscar, but I have always loved Jeff’s hair. I mean the man has great hair. There I said it, and I feel better..carry on.
I still think George Clooney is going to win the Oscar. He’s the star of the likely Best Picture Winner at this point and those often go hand in hand. I agree with Ryan that Bridges is probably going to win for True Grit. Crazy Heart does look pretty good though.
My favourite Jeff Bridges-movie by far is “The Last Picture Show”!
It would be great to see him winning this time!
And I do think he has a better shot than George Clooney, because Clooney has won recently and Bridges is due to win.
Looks good, but I don’t know if it’s the movie or the way FOX is marketing it, but I have to concur this looks way too much like the “Wrestler,” except lighter. Everything from the use of an acoustic song made to stir the emotions to the main character as a has-been having problems with his kid. The midway point through the trailer is almost verbatim as the Wrestler, where someone pretty much tells Bridges’ character along the lines of “this could be your ticket back on top,” just like in The Wrestler.
I do like, though, the implications behind the Wrestler’s success, which have allowed the movie to to become a useful catchprase ie. “this is (actor)’s Wrestler”
Why is Colin Farrel not credited in the trailer???
I’m in. I love me some Jeff Bridges.
We all know that The Dude abides. Let’s hope he can do it with an Oscar next to his White Russian.
Looks great. Can’t wait to see it. Bridges has deserved attention for everything he’s done, and so much of it has gone under the radar (The Door in the Floor, most recently).
That’s a great trailer and NOW I have someone to really root for this year. My favorite performances so far have been Jeremy Renner and Sam Rockwell, but I know I’m going to love Crazy Heart and Bridge’s performance. He’s been one of my favorite actors for over 30 years and is long, long overdue for that Oscar. He should have a few other nominations, most assuredly for Fearless, a movie that’s in my top 10 of all time. He also could/should have at least a nom for Fisher King, The Contender, Lebowski and The Door in the Floor.
Sasha, I call Against All Odds one of my favorite guilty pleasures, I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves that movie.
Oh, crap, Firth is fucked! This IS Wrestler for country music. And it even has a kid dying in a car crash. Plus guilt trip. Oscar! So, if it comes down to another gay vs another trainwreck-picking-himself-up-one-last-time, trainwreck will win because gay won last year. Unless George and Viggo mess things up. Or DDL again.
If George Clooney wins another Oscar before Jeff Bridges, it’d be a crime. Bridges is an actors’ actor and in my book he’s far more overdue than Winslet was at this point last year. This guy has been ROBBED of an Oscar nomination for a genius of a performance in The Door in the Floor. Watch the film and then watch any of the nominated performances that year and tell me which one makes a real impression. This performance didn’t get an Oscar nomination simply because it’s not a compromise, but Bridges portrays a character that’s far more complex than Oscar voters like it.
And this is the guy who wasn’t even nominated for The Fisher King. All due respect to Robbin Williams, but Bridges had a harder task in the film, while Williams was playing for the sentiment. When I think about the film, it’s Bridges who comes to mind right away.
I want him to win the Oscar. Hands down, he’s overdue.
I like Bridges. I don`t like Robin Williams. That said, I like Firth too and he is also overdue. So battle of first-time nominated overdues?
“I call Against All Odds one of my favorite guilty pleasures, I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves that movie.”
You are not alone. Who was hotter than Jeff Bridges in Against All Odds? Not many.
I actually watched “Fabulous Baker Boys” for the first time a few weeks ago and was amazed at Bridges wonderfully subtle and quiet performance. It’s funny because going into that movie I only heard about how wonderful Pfeiffer was (and she was great) but to me it was Bridges performance that stood out. It was actually much different then anything he had done to that point.
I personally don’t think “Against All Odds” is a guilty pleasure at all. I always thought of it as a pretty good movie. Am I wrong?
#33 Jon wrote: I actually watched “Fabulous Baker Boys” for the first time a few weeks ago and was amazed at Bridges wonderfully subtle and quiet performance. It’s funny because going into that movie I only heard about how wonderful Pfeiffer was (and she was great) but to me it was Bridges performance that stood out. It was actually much different then anything he had done to that point.
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I totally agree. You gotta credit Beau as well. The scene where Jeff pushes him up against a wire fence still gets me everytime.
[...] new trailer for CRAZY HEART clearly shows a new player has entered the race. Sasha Stone over at AWARDS DAILY says it best, ”The Dude may finally see his moment to [...]
I’m very skeptical about George Clooney taking home another Oscar for Up in the Air. I just don’t see it happening, not with Colin Firth, Viggo Mortensen and now Jeff Bridges in the spotlight.
Clooney will get nominated for the same reason he always gets nominated–he knows the right people. but he definately won’t take home the trophy–it’s probably Bridges all the way, though Mortenson could be a spoiler. Day-Lewis has enough, but yeah i wholeheartedly agree with moviefan I’d love to see Rockwell up there…oh well if Rockwell doesn’t get nominated, he’ll nail the award in the future after doing a tireless streak of great work a la philip seymour hoffman
I know a couple of people have said it(#9, 31), but I would have to argue against the idea that Colin Firth is overdue a nomination.
Dorian Gray? Bridget Jones? Bridget Jones 2? Love Actually? Mamma Mia? What A Girl Wants? The Accidental Husband?
Sure, he was in The English Patient and Shakespeare In Love, but surely if he deserved a nomination for either of those films he would have got one, it wasn’t like they were quiet films with Oscar….
I like Colin Firth, probably a British thing, and I’m excited about seeing A Single Man. I hope his performance does get him a nomination.
But to question whether he is more ‘due’ then Jeff Bridges is not really justifiable. That’s not to say they won’t both deserve to win, but based on their previous work, Bridges deserves it an awful lot more.
However, I honestly think that it’s going to end up with Morgan Freeman or DDL winning anyway.
This year’s The Wrestler???
was that colin farrell rofl
“…based on their previous work, Bridges deserves it an awful lot more.”
Of all the smelly bullshit aspects of the Oscars — (the shabby “Governors Awards,” the decrepit foreign language film “committees”) — these make-up-sex Oscars for “previous work” is the biggest steaming pile of all.
I know you’re not responsible for the attitude, JoeyG, and it’s good to see you’re don’t fall victim to it. But we all suffer when the Academy gives Oscars away as grandiose Social Security benefits. Especially when they repeatedly ignore more deserving “previous work” like Peter O’Toole’s.
#38 Bridget Jones`s one of the greatest romcoms of the decade featuring one of the greatest female performances of the decade. Even us who aren`t Zelly fans admit that was wonderful and iconic. Firth was great in it too but he`s Mr Darcy so that works for him. But I admit that I went overboard with his overdueness. Bridges is,like, king of overduees or something, no contest.
I fully agree with you Ryan, which is why I am sort of hoping that if either Firth or Bridges does eventually win, that it is based solely on the performance on the film for which they are nominated.
I think what I’m trying to say is that it would be nice if the Oscar actually went to the actor who gave the best performance and if that happens to be Firth or Bridges, then great.
But if not, Firth is still relatively young and will likely have another opportunity if he doesn’t make it this time around and, as you said in your post #3, Bridges may well have another shot next year…..
And bambi, I agree, Renee Zellweger’s portrayal of Bridget Jones was, for me, one of the greatest female performances of the decade, the first time around anyway.
People should stop voting for the overdues. It seems like a good idea at the time (How come this actor/actress hasn’t got one?!) and most people support it, but the moment it has happened, the moment it seems wrong. Look at Winslet last year. Everyone’s happy she won although everyone knows it was not her best work. The worst part is that by rewarding overdue actors and actresses, they are making others wait, and they become the future overdues (think Sally Hawkins last year). It’s a vicious cycle
“The Weary Kind” is a great song, but my God that’s is easily the most Oscar baiting trailer I have EVER seen!
Looks fantastic – anyone up for a Maggie Gyllenhaal Supporting Actress nomination? Sounds good to me!
Sasha….you might not remember this because it was probably more than a year ago or so, but I e-mailed you about this flick and about Jeff Bridges supposedly being very good in it. I read on one movie site, maybe it was even off IMDB. A crew member, possibly a miking person, wrote a passage that said it’s Bridges most poignant, deepest role he has done. I also mentioned it in my blog way back as well, but that doesn’t matter now because the movie is getting a December release date ! This has been on my list for a long time.
Even in some of the movies that Jeff Bridges has done that weren’t so well recieved, he has ALWAYS been solid. I can’t think of a sleep walking or weak performance in any film he has been in.
If he does get an Oscar nod and wins, it’s been long overdue and more power to him.
Oh… and I like the nice touch in premise of the movie and adding Robert Duvall to the cast. Similar to his Oscar winning turn in Tender Mercies.
I love Jeff Bridges. However, if he won what I’ve been considering Jeremy Renner’s Oscar for quite some time, I’d be crushed. It’s the swooping in out of nowhere thing that would make it so sad and tragic. If Firth or someone else won who’s been in the running all this time, then oh well. But this is like a sneak attack.
I would totally give the Oscar to Mr. Bridges in a heartbeat. Why not?
i lived in hartford ks when then were shooting scenes of the movie bad company in 1972,i was about 9,i was in reastrant several times when they all came in to eat,and i was in bar when jeff and coworker came in,jeff ordered a beer and bartender said,im not selling u one, a few more words were said but ill keep that to myself, hes always been one of of my fav actors
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