Baking & the Big Screen: Biscuits & Crazy Heart
I’m not even sure how I stumbled across this connection, but being able to find a movie that actually highlights a baked good, rather than just something that appears for a split second I have to scramble to screenshot is still something to celebrate. Thankfully, I found this biscuit recipe that was easy to follow and was totally worth it. Considering how poorly last month’s attempt at a baking challenge went, it was wonderful indulging in a movie I actually truly enjoyed and making something that turned out exactly how I wanted it to. One thing I’ve learned is that there are a surprising number of music-based movies that I wrote off (Popstar, Walk the Line, Walk Hard) that turned out to be really solid films. Not a trend I anticipated figuring out with this baking adventure, that’s for sure.
Crazy Heart
Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Ryan Bingham, Robert Duvall
Director/Writer: Scott Cooper
Released in 2009
Available on Amazon Prime
I didn’t realize how specific of a story Crazy Heart would turn out to be. I always assumed it was just another biopic-style movie on a fictional singer, and to an extent, I wasn’t wrong. Thankfully, it was more to it than that. The film is darker and grittier than I was anticipated and was more of an “opposite of a coming of age” story. Rather than being akin to a Bohemian Rhapsody, it was far more a Shakespearean tragedy. Jeff Bridges plays a country singer whose life has taken a turn for the worse. He’s alone, playing depressing gigs to a single digit number of audience members and consuming the majority of his calories via booze. He was once at the top of his game, known for his distinctive voice and incredible songs. Now, it’s far from living the dream.
There were both things I loved and hated about Crazy Heart. The good: the singing was actually fantastic and, after I did some digging, it turns out it was really done by Bridges. That kind of thing always ranks high for me; it adds another level to the performance. The bad: I could never get past the age gap between Bridges and Gyllenhaal. They had chemistry, for sure, but since he wasn’t exactly supposed to look like a spring chicken and she was more of an up-and-coming journalist, they seemed even more mismatched. In both looks and situation, there was a canyon’s space of difference in between the two, and it was apparent in every single scene. In the end, I was able to look past that and judge the movie a bit more objectively, and the fact of the matter was that everyone did a truly fantastic job - especially Colin Farrell in a smaller, supporting role that was an unexpected delight.
Another delight? These biscuits. While they may look a little pale in the photo, it was exactly what I had hoped for. They don’t have the distinctive flaky layers that you expect from the tube or can. They aren’t overflowing with that slightly fake but still delicious butter flavor. I loved them though. They weren’t so dense that they sit in your stomach like a rock, but they stuck with you. This recipe proved to make a biscuit that was a perfect match with a bit of honey or jam. They were fluffy and a fantastic size. I could wax poetic about these for quite some time, and I’ll definitely make them again. The ratio of effort to result is just enough in the positive to make it worth doing. For something relatively simple, it still manages to make me proud that I was able to make this plate of very excellent carbs from a handful of ingredients in my pantry. It’s a part of baking I hope I never get over.