Just when it was looking like Fox Searchlight wouldn't be a major part of the Oscar season at all, in comes The Dude to save them. The studio has decided to release the Jeff Bridges vehicle Crazy Heart on December 16, just a few days after screening it for a handful of journalists in Los Angeles, almost all of whom immediately declared Bridges' role "this year's Oscar-winning lead actor turn."

Below is the press release that Fox sent out yesterday, which tells you everything you need to know about the movie that's being described as "a country music Wrestler." Regardless of how good the movie is, or even if Bridges' performance doesn't turn out to be better than some of the others this year, there is this fact: Jeff Bridges has never won an Oscar. Maybe this is finally the year we can fix that heinous oversight.

Four-time Academy Award® nominee JEFF BRIDGES stars as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic anti-hero Bad Blake in the debut feature film CRAZY HEART from writer-director Scott Cooper.  Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Golden Globe® nominee MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician.  As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart.

Written/Directed by: Scott Cooper

Based on the Novel by: Thomas Cobb

Produced by: Scott Cooper, Robert Duvall, Rob Carliner, Judy Cairo, and T Bone Burnett

Original Music by: T Bone Burnett  

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Robert Duvall

***CRAZY HEART will be released on December 16, 2009***