American Heart
by Martin Bell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Don Harvey, Edward Furlong, Jeff BridgesDirector: Martin Bell
Brand: Lions Gate
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-02-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Artisan
Movie Reviews of American Heart
Movie Review: This film is truly heartfelt...
Summary: 5 Stars
Jeff Bridges is definitely one of the best actors of his generation. Every time I watch him I'm baffled at just how naturally brilliant he is. I'm also baffled that he has yet to pick up an Oscar for his tremendous work, or the fact that he's been nominated for quite possibly his weakest performances yet snubbed entirely for his most impressive.
`American Heart' is one of his most impressive.
When I sat down to watch this film my only motivation was that of Mr. Bridges. I expected yet another sappy generic melodramatic film complete with clichés and manipulated emotions, but Jeff Bridges was enough to make me give it a try. What left me most impressed was the fact that it was none of those things. Sure, it had layers of predictability in the plot and subplot, but it was so honest in its delivery. It never feels forced even in moments when the director and the actors could have easily taken down the path most traveled. For instance, in a scene possessing a major character arch for Bridges he plays it with distilled emotions instead of flying into hysterics like most actors would feel urged to play it. He manages to appear real, and thus the film appears real.
`American Heart' tells the story of recently released convict Jack and his teenage son Nick. Jack doesn't know how to be a real citizen, let alone a father, but his desire to be a part of his son's life gives him the incentive to at least try. Nick is a wayward son, falling into his father's footsteps, but Jack is trying his hardest (even if at times it seems otherwise) to mold him in another direction.
The film is barely anything more than just that; a story about a father and a son, and it benefits from the simplicity. It allows us to get to know these two characters (based on real life runaway Dewayne and his father) and thus makes their development all the more effecting on us. I was very impressed with the direction taken here, the way the film seemed to effortlessly unfold with such subtle honesty, which is not what I expected at all.
My only complaint is the clichéd ending, which I was dreading would come. Even in it's clichés though, it is far from manipulative but remains just as subtle and raw as the rest of the film, so I cannot really fault the film for `going there'.
Jeff Bridges is phenomenal here, as per usual, but maybe even more so. This reminds me of his more subdued work in stellar films like `The Door in the Floor' and `The Baker Boys' (his two finest performances, yet both Oscar snubbed; go figure). He is brutally honest in his depiction on this man; no forced hysterics and emotional outbursts to contend with. He tells it like it is, and that is refreshing to see. Edward Furlong does a fine job interacting with Bridges; they have a nice chemistry. Lucinda Jenney (who looks a lot like Naomi Watts) is effective in her role, but she is merely a subplot and not really all that important to the unfolding of the film.
This is a film that is not seen by many but should be. I'm sure many have not even heard of it (this is the eleventh review for the film, so there you have it). Look it up, check it out and enjoy. This is a truly believable and engrossing father/son bonding film that will leave you satisfied.
Summary of American Heart
It took heart to grow up on the streets. It took guts to survive five years in prison. Now Jack Kelson is getting out and he has only three goals: get a room, get a job, and get to Alaska where the air is clean and a man can start fresh again. But Jack never stopped to consider that his 14-year-old son Nick has a dream too, the dream of being with the only family he knows, his dad.Jeff Bridges may be the American film actor with the most unseen great performances to his credit. Near the top of the list of Bridges's most overlooked films is this one, the first fiction film by documentary maker Martin Bell (Streetwise). Bridges plays Jack, an ex-con fresh out of prison and back in Seattle, where he is joined by Nick (Edward Furlong), a teenage son he barely knows. Nick wants nothing more than to spend time with Jack, to feel like a family. But Jack can barely cope with the concept of holding a job and staying out of trouble; he can hardly take care of himself, let alone be responsible for a teenager. Bell shows the toll on both as they slowly develop a bond and, after several false starts, learn to trust and care for each other. Bridges is magnificent as this loner who must learn to trust feelings he'd given up on years before. It's an involving and tragic tale. --Marshall Fine
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