Born To Be Blue
Highlights:
Ethan Hawke stars as legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker in a re-imagining of the musician’s struggle to overcome years of drug addiction and stage a late-career comeback. Immersed in the seductive jazz milieu of the 1960s, BORN TO BE BLUE melds fact and fiction in an approach true to its subject’s own creative nature, portraying the life of an artist whose contributions to the music world were as grand as his addictions were tragic. Official selection: Toronto International Film Festival
Director:
Robert Budreau
Cast:
Ethan Hawke, Carmen Ejogo, Callum Keith Rennie
Screenplay:
Robert Budreau
Screening Date:
Mar 05, 2016
Studio:
IFC Center
Running Time:
97 Minutes
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.1% | 29.3% | 26.8% | 26.8% | 2.4% |
“Loved it! Always good work by Ethan Hawke.”
“Too much time with a drug addict for a Saturday morning. Ethan Hawke was better as Chet Baker than he was as Hamlet!”
“Sad that creativity was fed by drugs. Thematically interesting, left me with the message that drugs fed his fires of creative horn playing.”
“Did you see YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN?”
“Ethan Hawke gives a remarkable performance, but like Vikander in THE DANISH GIRL Carmen Ejogo is every bit as good or better.”
“Some white men can play! Want to know more about the real Chet Baker.”
“Wonderful look and feel and atmosphere of early 50’s and late 60’s of smoky jazz joints and cheap apartments and the obligatory California Volkswagen mini-bus.”
“Loved the music, it dragged at times. Unfortunately, a lot of the same - drugs, alcohol, women etc.”
“Great soundtrack! Liked the look of the film. B&W vs color. He was great. It shows the psychological struggle with insecurity that artists can have. Wonder if his music would have been as good if he started to think that he really didn’t need the heroin to feel the width of the music. Was he looking for approval and acceptance of Davis and Gillespie? It certainly was all about him and the need of a partner who would give him positive reinforcement.”
“Loved, loved, loved the music. ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ worth the price of admission alone.”
“Very bluesy. How does addiction transcend all talent, dreams and contentment? Ethan Hawke is hugely talented!”
“He was described by the MC as the ‘James Dean of jazz,’ but this was in 1952 and James Dean didn’t do EAST OF EDEN or REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE until 1955!”
“A very ‘artsy’ look at his life, and that’s not a bad thing. No film can be absolutely factual to anyone’s life, so I liked the bluesy, poetic license.”
“More music-driven than story driven. So disappointing that the credits ran so fast.”
“I loved it!”
“Though I am not an Ethan Hawke fan, he was well cast and did an excellent job as Chet Baker. Although the film short shrifts the physical realities of Baker’s life and addiction. (Hawke is too clean and pretty to be believed). The psychological aspects are full face on.”
“I just didn’t find any redeeming value in this film. Musicians and drugs is a story we’ve seen. This feels more like a vanity piece by Ethan Hawke who honestly I don’t think is as good an actor as his reputation.”
“Miles Davis most famous song was KIND OF BLUE and he has a CD KIND OF BLUE not Baker. Played on the west coast with a trio with Art Pepper and a drummer.”
“Great discusion providing the facts of Baker’s life vs. the impressionistic cinematic portrait by Budreau.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
Born to be Blue provides an interesting view into the life of Chet Baker. The film is a unique form of character study, as it takes an approach which is meant to deviate from the of the typical biopic. As a result of this unorthodox format the film does not make a point to cover every aspect of his life. If you would like to learn a bit more about the life of Chet Baker you can follow the link below to a documentary on him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et3a_3WedwE
Born to be Blue is a unique experience in regards to both how and why it was made. It certainly raises questions about Chet Baker, but also about those behind the film. The link below leads to an interview with the director, Robert Budreau. In it he discusses subjects such as why he chose to make a film on Chet Baker as well as why he felt Ethan Hawke would be best to play him.
http://www.tribute.ca/interviews/robert-budreau-born-to-be-blue/director...
