Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski) gives the performance of his career as the richly comic, semi-tragic, romantic anti-hero Bad Blake, a broken down, hard-living country singer-songwriter who is shamed by becoming second fiddle to his one time protégé, now a superstar (Colin Farrell). Blake reaches for salvation through his relationship with an aspiring journalist and single mom (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who discovers the real man behind the boozed out musician, but he might not be strong enough. First time writer-director Scott Cooper delivers a simple but authentic gem, based on the novel by Thomas Cobb and featuring terrific music mostly by T-Bone Burnett and the late Stephen Bruton. *THREE OSCAR NOMS: Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Music-Original Song.