Born to Be Blue

Greetings again from the darkness. Most biopics aim for historical accuracy with only the occasional stretching of facts for dramatic effect.

The overall production was stellar.Ethan Hawke gives a honest performance that showcase his most endearing qualities as a fine thespian.

Am I aware that substance abuse is frequent in the entertainment business? Yes.

Holy Chet! The Chet Baker biopic "Born to Be Blue" was a whopper of a film.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Ethan Hawke was "born" to play Chet Baker (no pun intended to the title), but this is the kind of performance that tends to be talked about for years to come. There's no front put up between him and the audience, and despite the vocal change to be a little more hoarse or whispery or however it was that Baker was naturally from his Oklahoma-cum-cigarette-strewn roots, it feels as if Hawke has slipped into Baker's shoes from the outset and that he just IS him.

Ethan Hawke stars in this beautifully acted portrayal of jazz trumpeter and singer Chet Baker during his prime. Know that the film treats the facts of Baker's actual biography, as one reviewer said, more like a chord chart than a score and riffs from there.

Wonderful music and superb performances by Ethan Hawke and all involved. I liked the use of color and black and white through out the film.

Ethan Hawke never ceases to amaze me. His performance, alongside the superb Carmen Ejogo, is absolutely fantastic.

I've never been much of a jazz fan, though I'm getting into the music lately. Chet Baker would not have been on my radar during the time frame in which this story took place, coinciding as it did with the British Invasion of the mid-Sixties which is where my head was at as a young teenager.