Born to Be Blue

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Jerod S I'm a Hawke fan - but this was a jazzy snoozer for me. Hawke could pass as a trumpet player but definitely not a singer. And Chet's story is a downer. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/15/23 Full Review J.J. L Perhaps the best or the only film about Chet Baker. Ethan Hawke does a sterling performance about the jazz trumpeter. I would watch this film again. And listen over and over again to Chet Baker' s music. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/01/22 Full Review isla s First off, it didn't take me long to notice that the dialogue was frustratingly hushed almost from the get-go. Some dialogue I couldn't quite catch - it almost warrants subtitles at times, as the speech is so both quiet/subdued and spoken somewhat fast - thats something thats a bit of a bugbear with me. Its a somewhat understated film but I suppose due to that, I felt the plot seemed a little thing at times. The main performance by Ethan Hawke as Chet Baker is pretty good, although I wouldn't say any of the other performances stood out especially. The music is pleasant enough - what you'd expect, I suppose, of jazz music from the 50s and 60s or thereabouts. I guess you could say it has a bit of style in terms of some of the flashback scenes of Chet performing at shows in the past, presumably during his heyday, appearing in black and white. Its not a bad watch as such but it didn't entirely work for me, personally. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It's an outstanding film that puts into portrayal love for a woman, music and the unfortunate choice he made to relying on drugs. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member in 1966, Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) is hired to play himself in a movie about his earlier years when he first tried heroin. He romances actress Jane Azuka (Carmen Ejogo) but on their first date, Baker is attacked by thugs and his front teeth smashed. As Baker recovers from his injury, his embouchure is ruined and he is unable to play trumpet any better than a novice. Meanwhile, he must answer to a probation officer, and ensure he is employed, while sticking to his regimen of methadone treatment... Born to Be Blue received positive reviews from film critics, with Hawke's performance receiving praise. Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus was: "Born to Be Blue benefits from a highlight-reel performance from Ethan Hawke and an impressionistic, non-hagiographic approach to Chet Baker's life and times". I am not a massive jazz lover, but Chet Baker is a jazzartist I do like. Both his playing and his singing. This biopic on Chet Baker is ok, maybe a bit too much focused on his comeback and not enough on his backstory to my mind. Ethan Hawke is ok as Chet Baker and pretty lookalike at times. The production is ok and it sets the tone right. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A commendable performance by Ethan Hawke as the cool jazz great is not enough to carry a screenplay that decides to gloss Chet Baker as another cliché artist with an addiction problem coupled with romance issues. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Born to Be Blue

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