Born to Be Blue

Director: Robert Budreau Robert Budreau

Overview

In this unconventional biopic, legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (Ethan Hawke) must relearn his craft in the late '60s after his front teeth are knocked out during a mugging. As he strives to get his career back on track and overcome his heroin addiction, he receives support from his new girlfriend (Carmen Ejogo), an actress who was cast to play his lover in a movie about his life. Written and directed by Robert Budreau, Born to Be Blue made its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/26/2016
UPC:	0030306945897
Original Release:	2015
Rating:	R
Source:	IFC INDEPENDENT FILM
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:37:00

Special Features

Deleted scenes; Behind the scenes; Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ethan Hawke	Chet Baker
Carmen Ejogo	Jane / Elaine
Callum Keith Rennie	Dick
Stephen McHattie	Dad
Janet-Laine Green	Mom
Tony Nappo	Officer Reid
Dan Lett	Danny Friedman
Kedar Brown	Miles Davis
Kevin Hanchard	Dizzy Gilespie
Tony Nardi	Nicholas
Barbara Mamabolo	Janelle
Katie Boland	Sarah
Janine Theriault	Florence
Joe Condren	Actor Dick
Natassia Halabi	Jenny
Barbara Eve Harris	Elsie Azuka
Nat Leone	Jenny
Eugene Clark	Henry Azuka
Bruno Rocca	Italian Prison Guard
Mark Fraser	Prothodontist
Daniel Kash	Voices
Chip Keen	Sax Steve
David Braid	Composer
Todor Kobakov	Composer
Steve London	Composer
Charles Officer	Actor
Joe Cobden	Actor Dick
Kwasi Songui	M.C.
Jim Calarco	Bowling Alley Manager
Michael Vincent Dagostino	First AD
Geoff McCausland	Bassist Peter
Michael Cleland	Jazz Bar Patron
Drew Davis	Beau
Megan Dawson	Bar Patron

Technical Credits

Robert Budreau

Robert Budreau	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Leonard Farlinger	Producer
Jennifer Jonas	Producer
Jake Seal	Producer
Terry Bird	Executive Producer
Stefan Jacobs	Executive Producer
Adam Moryto	Executive Producer
William G. Santor	Executive Producer
Gurpreet Chandhoke	Executive Producer
Mark Slone	Executive Producer
Christina Kubacki	Executive Producer
Patrick Roy	Executive Producer
Andrew Chang-Sang	Executive Producer
John Hills	Executive Producer
Daniel Aboud	Camera Operator
John Buchan	Casting
Jason Knight	Casting
Avi Federgreen	Production Manager
Robert F. Scherer	Sound Mixer
James Binkley	Stunts
D. Matt Geller	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

It's a blessing that Born to Be Blue hits theaters this week alongside I Saw the Light, in order to remind moviegoers that the music biopic is still a worthwhile genre: Writer/director Robert Budreau eschews the usual hallmarks of biographical filmmaking here to create an impressionistic narrative about jazz legend Chet Baker. And whereas the aforementioned picture about Hank Williams failed its subject by reducing his life to a series of bullet points with no feeling, Born to Be Blue is all soul -- it takes true events from Baker's life and reimagines them as a study of addiction and love wrapped around a flawed musical figure's attempted comeback. Baker purists, or anyone who's naïve enough to still believe that biopics never take liberties with their source material, might be put off by the idea that some of the events or characters here are fabricated. But Budreau's melding of fact and fiction mostly succeeds, thanks in large part to a never-better Ethan Hawke as the jazzman. After a stint in an Italian prison on drug charges in the late '60s, legendary West Coast trumpeter Chet Baker returns stateside at the behest of a Hollywood producer who wants him to star in a film about his own life. Through flashbacks and depictions of scenes from that fictional biopic-within-a-biopic, the events of Baker's '50s fame come into focus. He is haunted by a 1954 appearance at the venerable club Birdland in New York City, where Miles Davis (Kedar Brown) and Dizzy Gillespie (Kevin Hanchard) pointedly shunned the flashy Californian. Baker is also dealing with a vicious heroin addiction that has derailed his career and love life. His costar in the film-within-the-film, Jane (Carmen Ejogo), represents an amalgamation of several women in the musician's life who were enraptured by his charisma and James Dean-like appeal; the pair begin a passionate romance outside of the movie studio, despite her firsthand knowledge of his addiction and history of abandoning his lovers. Following a date at a bowling alley, Baker is jumped by a crew of drug dealers he's in debt to, knocking out his front teeth and badly damaging his face. The embouchure he's spent a lifetime perfecting in order to play the trumpet is forever lost, and after being fitted for dentures, he struggles to relearn his craft while also wrestling with the constant pull of heroin. His comeback, along with a second chance at Birdland, hinges on his ability to convince his longtime collaborating producer Dick Bock (Callum Keith Rennie) that his playing is up to snuff and his addiction is in check -- even though the latter has been a lifelong demon. Born to Be Blue is as much a glimpse at the disease of addiction as it is a recounting of Baker's life. Budreau paints him as an unrepentant junkie, one who believes that smack is the driving force behind his creative juices. He's willing to lose everything for a hit, yet has the charm and guile to convince those around him otherwise. Hawke's fragile portrayal of Baker brings together the various threads of his personality -- the musical genius, the childishness, the hopeless romanticism, the habitual dishonesty -- and he's matched stride for stride by Ejogo, a restrained young actress who knows full well that their relationship could end in tragedy. Born to Be Blue was slickly shot by cinematographer Steve Cosens, who fluctuates between the warm hues of the California coast and the cool lighting of jazz clubs dressed up in familiar '60s decor. It remains to be seen if audiences will be interested in Budreau's inventive take on the dramatized biopic, but a compelling story and powerful acting make Born to Be Blue a worthwhile improvisational indie.