American Heart

Nothing special about the story, a father/son movie. But Jeff Bridges is a great actor, and is what it is worth taking a look in this movie.

Bell's first film was a 1984 documentary about homeless teenagers in Seattle. Eight years later, he explored the same social dilemma with this fictional effort. His dedication to exploring the topic is clear and the film is coated in his sincerity. It's just not all that good. The storytelling is too rote, and Furlong doesn't have the skills for his leading role. Bridges is solid, but the part is fragmented in a way that creates narrative inconsistency rather than nervous unpredictably.

A domestic drama/character study that feels awfully familiar but it works well enough. I don't hate Jeff Bridges, but I'm also not a huge fan. I'd say this is one of his better performances. Edward Furlong is a bit annoying. I guess I'd have to say I enjoyed watching the movie yet I can't find any superlatives for it. It's fairly well-written, fairly well-shot, pretty well-acted, nothing really bad about it but nothing great either. I thought the ending was out of step with the subdued tone.

The best thing about it is the Tom Waits song playing during the title credits.