www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

7.7/10
367
6 user 41 critic

Born to Be Blue (2015)

Trailer
2:29 | Trailer

Get Showtimes

In 2 theaters near Ashburn VA US [change]

A re-imagining of jazz legend Chet Baker's musical comeback in the late '60s.

Director:

Writer:

Reviews
Popularity
707 ( 382)
1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X  

A group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.

Director: Richard Linklater
Stars: Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman
Biography | Drama | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X  

The story of the country-western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his rise to fame and its tragic effect on his health and personal life.

Director: Marc Abraham
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Maddie Hasson
Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A father and son go on the run, pursued by the government and a cult drawn to the child's special powers.

Director: Jeff Nichols
Stars: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst
Miles Ahead (2015)
Biography | Drama | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.

Director: Don Cheadle
Stars: Don Cheadle, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ewan McGregor
Krisha (2015)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Krisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities.

Director: Trey Edward Shults
Stars: Krisha Fairchild, Olivia Grace Applegate, Bryan Casserly
City of Gold (2015)
Documentary | Biography
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A documentary portrait that takes us into Jonathan Gold's universe to tell the improbable story of a revolution inspired by the pen, but driven by the palate.

Director: Laura Gabbert
Stars: David Chang, Roy Choi, Jonathan Gold
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

When a member of a popular New York City improv troupe gets a huge break, the rest of the group - all best friends - start to realize that not everyone is going to make it after all.

Director: Mike Birbiglia
Stars: Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia
Drama | Thriller | War
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.

Director: Gavin Hood
Stars: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman
Newtown (2016)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A look at how the community of Newtown, Connecticut came together in the aftermath of the largest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history.

Director: Kim A. Snyder
Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A mysterious stranger, and a random act of violence drags a town of misfits and nitwits into the bloody crosshairs of revenge.

Director: Ti West
Stars: John Travolta, Karen Gillan, Ethan Hawke
Demolition (2015)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

As an investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash, his increasingly confessional series of letters to a vending machine company catch the attention of a customer service rep with whom he forms an unlikely connection.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper
Tower (2016)
Documentary | Animation | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X  

Nearly fifty years ago, a gunman rode the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire. TOWER, an animated and action-packed documentary, shares the... See full summary »

Director: Keith Maitland
Stars: Violett Beane, Blair Jackson, Josephine McAdam
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Jane / Elaine
...
Dick
...
Officer Reid
...
Dad
...
Mom
Dan Lett ...
Danny Friedman
...
Jenny
...
...
Bowling Alley Dealer
Tony Nardi
...
Sarah
Janine Theriault ...
Florence
Joe Condren ...
Actor Dick
Sophia Walker ...
Real Elaine
Edit

Storyline

Born to be Blue starring Ethan Hawke is a re-imagining of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker's life in the 60's. When Chet stars in a film about himself, a romance heats up with his costar, the enigmatic Jane (Carmen Ejogo). Production is shelved when Chet's past comes back to haunt him and it appears he may never play music again but Jane challenges him to mount a musical comeback against all the odds. Written by Leonard Farlinger

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

jazz | smoking | smoke | bowling | caravan | See All (20) »

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, language, some sexuality and brief violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

| |

Language:

Release Date:

30 March 2016 (USA)  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$46,184 (USA) (25 March 2016)

Gross:

$287,107 (USA) (8 April 2016)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

This isn't the first film Robert Budreau wrote and directed about Chet Baker, he has also made a short film called The Deaths of Chet Baker. See more »

Soundtracks

Go Down Sunshine
by Odetta
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Hawke is awesome, the film not so much.
12 April 2016 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Am I aware that substance abuse is frequent in the entertainment business? Yes. From Ray, Walk the Line, and I See the Light, am I aware that some great artists became great while abusing drugs and alcohol. Yes? Is Born to Be Blue, about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, more of the same? Yes. I just can't believe there is no more to the lives of Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Hanks Williams, and Baker than abuse. Apparently, filmmakers believe we are anxious to experience these artists' dark abuse sides. For me, NOT!

Or rather I more prefer to experience their music trajectories and intricacies than their vulnerable abuse sides. Baker, once the premier trumpeter with his West Coast Swing, fell from grace for guess what? Heroin administered by a groupie and almost in plain sight of his wife. As for his next wife (playing both wives is Carmen Ejogo), Jane takes the clichéd role of loving support with little individuality.

Notwithstanding the formulaic nature of Born to Be Blue, Ethan Hawke's performance as Baker is a career high for its depiction of Baker's obsession with music and his poetic, vulnerable side. Never for a moment do we believe he will forsake his calling for pumping gas or Mariachi playing, temporary measures to keep the authorities off his paroled back.

When the film comes to an end, we can be pleased that the usual biopic tragic ending is upended by his continued success in Europe. Just as Baker was reborn in a concert before the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis with the help of drugs, so too did his European gig thrive on the addiction, right to his death. It is gratifying that the filmmakers didn't re-imagine that part and that it at least doesn't follow the usual redemptive path.

Although like me, you may shout "enough" at the drug motif, we can both say we enjoyed getting to know one of the greatest musicians of the last century.

"The thing to judge in any jazz artist is, does the man project and does he have ideas." Miles Davis


0 of 0 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Sorry folks but this is unauthorized JUNK forsakenones-20815
Filming in Sudbury Reblef
Where can one watch this film??? engagecontentmedia
SXSW Film Festival Lineup italian_shoegal
Any plans for an actual rollout? burger1124
Discuss Born to Be Blue (2015) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?