Customer Reviews

C.R.A.Z.Y. (French with English Subtitles)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Un magnifique exemple de la qualité de cinéma québécois contemporain. Un film touchant, traitant encore une fois, mais de façon remarquable, de la relation père-fils. Une film surfant des années 60 à 80 en respectant minutieusement les particularités de chaque époque, nous faisant réellement croire que les scènes furent tournées durant les années respectives.

Beau scénario, excellents acteurs (Michel Côté est sublime), ce film très touchant sur la vie de famille, sur l'identité et sur l'homosexualité post révolution tranquille (disons-le puisque le film fut sans cesse commercialisé sans mentionner cet élément pilier du scénario) fera vivre des émotions à tous.

Bon film !

Came across this movie the other day and thought it was great. I clearly understand why it got the recognition and the awards that it did. Clocking in a little over two hours C.R.A.Z.Y. is a little over long but embedded in that lengthy run time is a near flawless film. And, really, considering how finely wrought and beautifully performed all of Vallee's characters are I don't think I could have brought myself to cut a single frame out either, had I been in his shoes.

In here we have Zac, who is a sensitive young boy growing up in a large Catholic Quebecois family in the late Sixties. He is "different," something his mother explains, with the guidance of the mystic "tupperware lady," as a gift for healing peoples' burns by thinking about them. But Zac is uncomfortable with the fact that he doesn't like normal boys stuff, and feels constantly put upon by his three elder brothers. At Christmas, which happens also to be his birthday, he wants a baby carriage, but his dad insists on buying an ice hockey game. His mother objects, but dad gets his way. More than anything else Zac wants to be accepted by his devoted, but gruff dad. At night, Zac prays to God that he doesn't turn into a "fairy", but the feelings don't go away. Spanning a period of 21 years from 1960 to 1981, it captures the flavor of the era through such defining touchstones as drug use and the music of David Bowie, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones. Rather than following a set formula, the script frequently veers off into unexpected paths and by-ways, making it appear less theatrical in nature and more like real life.

C.R.A.Z.Y. is more then what it seems. The story is as much about looking for paternal acceptance, as the sexual confusion of a boy turning into a man, which probably is why it has been so widely appealing. Director Jean-Marc Vallee, who casts his own son as the [..]boy Zac (Emile Vallee), and Marc-Andre Grondin as the [...]Zac, is careful not to screen anything that would turn off mainstream audiences. At the same, this is a film of emotional depth, humor and intelligent exploration of its subject. C.R.A.Z.Y. deserved my laughter and my tears... as well as the crazy amount of awards that it has received. Recommended to those who are interested in a well-conceived family melodrama.

I watched this movie last night and I am thrilled with it! A wonderful movie - touching, moving with strong story line, superb acting from the entire cast, especially Michel Cote, and Michel-Andre. Such a depth of talent in Quebec!! Thank you to all for one wonderful, fabulous movie experience. Highly highly recommended.

C.R.A.Z.Y. is a rare film. Wonderful, comic, beautiful, poetic, tragic, and more- it effectively captures the cultural norms and social atmosphere of Montreal in the late 70s. More important, it tells the story of a suburban, working class family and their confrontation with the most formidable of challenges that could threaten any family's stability. Brutally honest, morally visceral, and cleverly presented, C.R.A.Z.Y. will alter the meaning of the word, permanently, for anyone who is willing to accept that the most important foundations of family are love and acceptance.

We first saw this movie on big screen and loved it so much that we bought the dvd. We regularly watch it as it's such a wonderful movie. The actors are outstanding, the story is touching and the atmosphere really reminded me of my youth in France. The caracteres are so accurate up to the detail of the mother putting her handkerchief inside the sleeve of her blouse like women used to do in the past. It's a MUST BUY

If you grew up at a similar time (late seventies), this movie is something you will be able to fully relate to. Growing up in Quebec, Zac is the "Z" in C.R.A.Z.Y. He has 4 other brothers, a controlling father, and a very sympathetic mother. But don't worry, the mother wears the pants in the family, and she puts the father in his place several times throughout the twists and turns in this plot. We follow Zac through high school, girlfriends, boyfriends, and a trip to the holy land, in order to find his true self. If you would like to know what it was like growing up back then, its a terrific historical account of what the mood was at the time, and how far we've come. Marc-Andre Grondin's performance is so authentic, as he plays Zac from his early teens into his early twenties...with the help of wardrobe, makeup, and evolving hairdos. This is an outstanding film if you can get beyond the subtitles and you will find yourself watching it again and again. Jason Sloane, see Listmania GayGreatest25

C.R.A.Z.Y. is a rare film. Wonderful, comic, beautiful, poetic, tragic, and more- it effectively captures the cultural norms and social atmosphere of Montreal in the late 70s. More important, it tells the story of a suburban, working class family and their confrontation with the most formidable of challenges that could threaten any family's stability. Brutally honest, morally visceral, and cleverly presented, C.R.A.Z.Y. will alter the meaning of the word, permanently, for anyone who is willing to accept that the most important foundations of family are love and acceptance.

Brilliant movie, and its lack of a Best Foreign Film oscar nom is all about politics (lack of US distributor etc) and nothing else.

It's been out since October in Quebec on DVD (and available on here)--ya the packaging is French but the film has great English subtitles (optional), it's anamorphic and I have no probs with the image quality. However the three commentaries and two very brief bonuses don't have english subtitles. Anyone know if the English edition will have these?

(Funny the Quebec DVD has a seperate English menu though really the only English choice is to get subtitles.)