Jeff Bridges: A career of unforgettable characters

For some, not even the heartbreaking finesse of Jeff Bridges' broken country singer Bad Blake can eclipse the pièce de résistance of "The Big Lebowski's" the Dude back in '98. Others would point to "Starman" or "The Last Picture Show." For me, it was 1992's "American Heart," another broken man stumbling toward recovery.

By Betsy Sharkey, Times film critic

March 8, 2010