Very disappointing...

Sadly Over-hyped

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is the second movie i had a question about yet i could not post it on the FAQ. I was just curious as to what happened to Jane's baby?

This is the title of another recent movie about a musician named Baker, but it could also be the words told by the female protagonist's father to his daughter. "Born to Be Blue" is a Canadian/British co-production that premiered already in 2015, but the fact that it took until now for the film to reach German theaters says a lot about the subject and people's appreciation for it. But first things first. The writer and director is Robert Budreau from Canada and this movie runs for roughly 95 minutes. In the center of it all is musician Chet Baker, played competently by Ethan Hawke. I would not call it a biopic because it really does not focus on the early years and also not on the late years, basically it's all about the time when his career is in danger and we see how he does (not) manage to get back on trail. Oscar nominee Hawke once again proves here that he is lead actor material without a doubt, also when it's not Richard Linklater in charge of things. His female co-lead is Carmen Ejogo and she is really good as well. It's that kind of performance that gets nominated for a Supporting Oscar because of how much screen time she has and how important she is for the film while being actually lead, just not as much of a lead as Hawke obviously. I also believe the two had great chemistry during all their scenes together and that's basically the entire film.I personally felt that something was missing when Ejogo was not on screen for a little while like towards the end for example before she returns and makes it a really great ending, somewhat of an unhappy ending I suppose, even if there is of course a success component to it. The only scene I did not like with the two was really the bed scene as the parallels between sex and playing the trumpet / making music ("hold that note the entire night") were a bit on the embarrassing side they were depicted there. But it's all good. It is just subjective anyway and I pretty much liked the entire rest, even if the film somewhat lacks truly great moments. It is a good watch for 1.5 hours nonetheless. And this comes from somebody who is not even that much into trumpet music at all.Now back to my very early comment. Why did it take so long for the film to make it to German theaters. I suppose it is that general audiences here will have no clue at all who Chet Baker was. This certainly does not include people who like his kind of music and I have heard that he is considered one of the greatest trumpet players ever. Hell I have even read somebody say he is the greatest musician ever. But it is always a toughie with films about musicians, not just here in Germany, but also in general, also in the US. Even those films that get the best reception by awards bodies and critics like "Walk the Line" or "Ray" and others do not reach box office numbers that truly make a difference and motivate people to make more films about musicians. And don't get me started on films about musicians that weren't really that famous. Does anybody remember Kevin Spacey or Dustin Hoffman or Forest Whitaker for the legendary musicians they portrayed? Things probably aren't looking much better with films about fictitious musicians like Llewyn Davis, even if masters like the Coen Bros are in charge. It's a heavy subject for general audiences. There are many many people in the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame whose music is still loved and remembered today and they will probably never get a biopic about them. Oh my, I cannot even think about (non-documentary) films about Elvis or the Beatles.Now back to this movie we have here. I liked it and all my criticisms are really just minor. For example, I would have liked more and crucial inclusions of the color blue if they go with this title. Admittedly the title is also a good choice in terms of describing Baker's final decision against his girl and for the drugs. He took the blue path. There is no denying that as a whole this film has a lot more positive to offer compared to the negative and I would agree that this is certainly one of the more overlooked movies of the year, even if I can somewhat understand why given the subject. This does not justify it though. You may want to work against that tendency and check out "Born to Be Blue". Like myself, you don't even need a special interest in Chet Baker or trumpets to appreciate this one. Liking Ethan Hawke as much as I do will certainly help things too. Go see it.

"Born To Be Blue" (2015 release; 97 min.) is a movie about jazz legend Chet Baker. As the film opens, we are in "Lucca, Italy, 1966" and baker is in prison, only to be bailed out by a Hollywood director. When then go to "Birdland, New York City, 1954" when Baker is at the peak of his fame and fortune, only to be exposed to heroin by a femme fatale. As it turns out, we then understand that this entire sequence was reenacted back in "Los Angeles, 1966" with Baker, now on the com-back trail, starring in his own movie. Alas, misfortune strikes again, as Baker is viciously assaulted, to such a degree that he cannot play the trumpet anymore. Now he faces even longer odds to come back. At this point we are 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: the movie does not tell us that this is a "true story" or "inspired by true events", and for good reason, as this is NOT a bio-pic in any way, shape or form about Chet Baker. Instead, the movie brings a fictionalized composite of certain elements and episodes of Baker's life. Canadian writer-director Robert Budreau makes this into his own cocktail mix, and the end result is quite good, and certainly entertaining. That said, the movie would not have succeeded if it weren't for the outstanding performance by Ethan Hawke as Chet Baker, I mean, Hawke nails it. Kudos also to Carmen Ejogo as Baker's love interest Jane (who is African-American). There are a number of key scenes in the movie. One that stands out for me is when Baker and Jane visit Baker's parents in Oklahoma. At one point, the less than friendly (and outright racist) Baker's dad sneers "I never dragged the Baker name through the mud", to which a stunned Baker has no reply, and simply walks away (and leaves for good), wow. If there is one criticism of the movie, I felt that the music was not given a full enough role. There are long stretches in the film where music seems to be an afterthought. Given Baker's fierce love for music, music should never be an afterthought when looking at Baker's life."Born To Be Blue" premiered to great acclaim at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, but despite that only got a very limited theater release in the US (it never made it to my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati). So glad I finally picked this up as a DVD. A comparison between this movie and last year's "Miles Ahead" (about jazz legend Miles Davis) is inevitable. I found both movies are quite well done, each in their own way. If you liked "Miles Ahead", you are bound to also like "Born To Be Blue", and vice versa. Bottom line: "Born to be Blue" is worth checking out, be it on Amazon Instant Video or on DVD/Blu-ray.

Some mere clanging cymbal, this thing sure ain't. Basquiat is one of those rare biopics for me, that's not just wonderful - but one of the best things I've ever seen. And this reaches damn near those same heights. Perhaps even more unwaveringly so. With every scene, every glance, every breath, every choice - seeming to BOTH accentuate the ultimate point AND itself be chock-full of genuinely felt, thought-out, inspired substance.Constituting a vivid, piercing reminder--after all the great filmmaking I've come across this year--just what a chasm there is between an excellent piece and a masterpiece.