Bad Blake? Nah. Jeff Bridges’ character, a past-his-prime country western singer was too self destructive to take action. Pride and self pity would have been the end of the road for the talented legend had someone else not saved the bitter Bad from himself.
Was it his sappy young girlfriend who finally grew a backbone in the end? Eh-eh. Besides, what kind of hero lets an alcoholic haul her son around the streets of Houston?
Tommy? Guess again. Tommy was worthy. His gratitude made him a noble warrior in the battle to help the old timer get his career back on track, but Bad harbored too much resentment for his former protégé/partner to accept his hand up. No, Tommy couldn’t have won the war without the help of another tough old timer.
But it wasn’t Robert Duval’s bartender character either. Even though the longtime friend pulled a collapsed Bad off the bathroom floor (where Bad had hit the cragged and rocky bottom so hard he finally agreed he needed help), and then drove him to rehab, he’s not the real champion in Bad’s life.
No, Bad’s guardian angel was the one who we at first thought of as the villain, the meanie, the asshole; Bad’s agent/manager, Jack Greene (Paul Herman). Jack outlasted all the other relationships in Bad’s life, because he refused to cave to the feisty old fart’s bullshit. He knew the bratty Bad’s ego was his own worst enemy. He continued to inform Bad like it was, he did not sugar coat the truth: Bad had to get his shit together. Plenty of people in Bad’s past had surely told him the same thing (all 4 ex wives I’ll bet), but most likely they couldn’t stand the pain Bad dished out. So everyone else had bailed on Bad.
His manager’s resistance to his hostility, combined with the harsh reality check, made him Bad’s savior.
Heroes are heroes, because they react. Sometimes saving lives is not as straightforward as busting down a door in a burning building. Occasionally, like saving a person from drowning, the victim’s panic jeopardizes both lives.
A quick Google search for how to save someone from drowning gave this crucial tip, “If a person continues to panic and their violent thrashing begins to pull you under, try to break free from their grasp so you can regain your strength and leverage.”
Like the award winning song says, “This ain’t no place for the weary kind.”
Without a doubt, Bad’s agent had to break free many, many times over the years to regain his energy to continue the fight, but he persevered through the discomfort, and never gave up.
It made my crazy heart swell with joy when I saw a triumphant and happy Bad standing at his manager’s side at the end of the movie.
What a nice couple of survivors.
