Born to Be Blue

R

Released Mar 25, 2016

1 hr. 37 min.

Biography

History

Drama

Romance

Music

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88%

120 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the late 1960s, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) begins a romance with an actress (Carmen Ejogo) while trying to stage a musical comeback.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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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 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 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 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 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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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 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 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Robert Budreau

Director

Ethan Hawke

Chet Baker

Carmen Ejogo

Jane

Callum Keith Rennie

Dick

Tony Nappo

Officer Reid

Janet-Laine Green

Mom

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Born to Be Blue: Trailer 1

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Ejogo makes vivid work of that dread device, the composite character. Hawke, film-star handsome but unable to match the ruined angel looks of his alter-ego, still manages to summon up his lost-boy charisma.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 27, 2016

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Lord know we don't need another biopic of a troubled but brilliant musician, but writer/director Robert Budreau dives into the psychology of a figure like Baker with a depth that such films rarely muster.

Nov 17, 2016

Full Review

Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

After the movie, don't be surprised if you find yourself downloading or streaming his music. If you do you will be struck by the haunting similarities of his sound and those from this very evocative and inventive film.

Nov 8, 2016

Full Review

Olly Richards

NME (New Musical Express)

Ethan Hawke toots the horn for Chet Baker in this not-quite-a-biopic that takes jazzy liberties with the truth.

Rated: 4/5

May 5, 2021

Full Review

Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

Born to Be Blue is as cool as the icy color in its title. It's a thick wisp of smoke in the air, a gentle tap on the bass string, full of an energy from the inside out, veering away from the typical musical biopic.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 1, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Hawke, who bears at least a modest resemblance to Baker, inhabits the character on a level I've seldom seen from him over the years.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 4, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the late 1960s, jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) begins a romance with an actress (Carmen Ejogo) while trying to stage a musical comeback.

Director: Robert Budreau
Screenwriter: Robert Budreau
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Productivity Media, New Real Films, Black Hangar Studios, Lumanity Productions, Entertainment One
Rating: R (Drug Use|Brief Violence|Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Romance, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 25, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $801.2K

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