Born to Be Blue
DVD IFC9458
Status: IN STOCK
Synopsis
Ethan Hawke lights up the screen as jazz legend Chet Baker, whose tumultuous life is thrillingly reimagined with wit, verve, and style to burn. In the 1950s, Baker was one of the most famous trumpeters in the world, renowned as both a pioneer of the West Coast jazz scene and an icon of cool. By the 1960s, he was all but washed up, his career and personal life in shambles due to years of heroin addiction. In his innovative anti-biopic, director Robert Budreau zeroes in on Baker’s life at a key moment in the 1960s, just as the musician attempts to stage a hard-fought comeback, spurred in part by a passionate romance with a new flame (Carmen Ejogo). Creatively blending fact with fiction and driven by Hawke’s virtuoso performance, Born to Be Blue unfolds with all the stylistic brio and improvisatory genius of great jazz.
Reviews:
“Something that should resonate with Baker fans and newcomers alike.” – Los Angeles Times
“Hawke is terrific as the jazz legend.” – The Wrap
“Everything that makes Ethan Hawke an extraordinary actor - his energy, his empathy, his fearless, vanity-free eagerness to explore the deeper recesses of a character - is on view in his performance as Chet Baker.” – Rolling Stone
“Ethan Hawke gives one of the best performances of his career." – Variety
“Its own fascinating beast, bolstered by an inventive, reality-blurring script and a moving performance by Ethan Hawke." – NPR