(2009) When a movie director surrounds himself with talent, it makes the first day of shooting a lot more pleasant. So imagine being director Scott Cooper when principal photography began on his new film, Crazy Heart. His top line featured not one but three stars: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Robert Duvall. And it left the writer of the film feeling pretty confident, too—and that was also Cooper. It probably didn’t hurt that two of his stars, Mr. Duvall and Mr. Bridges, are also producers of Crazy Heart. SCOTT COOPER audio excerpt: "Jeff Bridges is a better person than he is an actor, and that's saying a lot... In between 'Action!' and 'Cut!', it's revelatory what he can do. He's so facile...so sublime in the picture. He spoiled me. It's an embarrassment of riches." So how did this serio-comic story about a broken-down country music singer—that would be Bridges—turn out? If you can’t wait for the movie to open on Wednesday, December 16, let’s see what the director can tell us. Scott Cooper • •