Customer Reviews

Crumb (Criterion)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really don't know what to make of this film. When you first start watching Crumb, you wonder why anyone would ever want to watch something this odd, but after about twenty minutes you realize that you couldn't stop watching it if you wanted to -- and you don't want to. The world of Robert Crumb, a pioneer in the world of underground comics, is as disturbing as it is fascinating -- and that is exactly what Crumb is, a documentary about the life of this man and his family. It gives you a disarmingly honest look inside the man's mind, and I'm not sure anyone can really describe what we discover. In all honesty, I had never heard of Robert Crumb nor seen any of his work (although Fritz the Cat does ring a bell) before -- that work is eye-opening to say the least, and you get to see a lot of it during the documentary. Much of it is misogynistic and arguably racist, so I'm sure Crumb fans and anti-fans alike will be most interested in this artist's direct insight into his work. Crumb is a compulsive artist who draws almost constantly, and one gets the sense that it is the only thing keeping him from crossing a line into madness.

This is a really strange man, basically a recluse who never seems comfortable with himself or anyone else -- it's quite amazing he would allow a film crew in to follow him around for such a significant amount of time. He's not shy about discussing any part of his life or his work, however, taking us all the way back to his childhood. The man's artistic talents, even as a child, are undoubtedly extraordinary and certainly unique in terms of the exaggerated way he tends to draw things, especially people. Critics on both sides discuss the demeaning, borderline sadistic manner in which he has depicted women at different times in his career, and Crumb readily admits that he has some inward hostility toward women (although he has married twice and is the father of two children). On some issues, though, particularly when it comes to charges of racism, he tends to dance around the questions, passing some of the criticism off as an effect of his drug use in the 1960s.

The most poignant aspect of the film, however, is the story of Crumb's family. In many ways, this is a descent into mental illness -- and it's poignantly tragic. Crumb and his siblings obviously grew up in a dysfunctional family with a particularly puritan, abusive father. His two sisters chose not to be interviewed for this film, but we do meet brothers Charles and Maxon along with Crumb's mother. Charles still lives at home, never leaves the house, and has been dependent on medications for many years (his problems apparently include depression, suicidal tendencies, and homicidal thoughts), while Maxon (who has a record of child molestation from his younger days) seems to be far too disturbed to live on his own as he does. The interviews with Crumb and his brothers are the centerpiece of this documentary, if you ask me, and it's just a terribly sad thing to watch.

Just as Crumb's comics are what they are, Crumb is who he is, as seems clear from the details of this documentary. In some ways, he is incomprehensible and rather repulsive, yet you can't really dismiss or dislike him too much just because he's so darn fascinating and different from the rest of mankind. I think those with an interest in psychology will actually get more out of this film than most of Crumb's fans and critics.

"Crumb" is the sad and funny documentary of a damaged man who happened to find a beautiful and reasonably lucrative outlet for his peccadilloes. It's also the brutal portrait of two men - Robert's brothers - who were not so lucky.

"Crumb" offers amazing access to R. Crumb and his family, but the man himself remains an enigma - an entertaining and fascinating enigma, but an enigma nonetheless. Still, Zwigoff's probing camera gets behind the man and his art, his fans and detractors, and delivers a wonderful portrait of the man and a great appreciation of his work - even his most off-putting, misogynistic work.

But it's when Zwigoff talks to Robert's family that we see the true effects of a horrible, and horror-filled, childhood. Both of his brothers are intelligent and considerably talented, but they were unable to find a healthy outlet to escape a tyrannical father (his abuse is only hinted at in the movie), and their stories are deeply affecting - and difficult to watch.

So "Crumb" is either life-affirming or terribly depressing. I vote for the first option, which is why I'm the proud owner of the DVD. You wont find a much better documentary, or a more powerful drama, than "Crumb."

Wow! I knew R. Crumb was off-beat, but I had no idea how much so. And his family is really messed up, much worse off than Robert Crumb. His siters refused to be interviewed forthe film, but his two brothers should be institutionalized. If you question your own weirdness and sanity, take a look at the Crumb family in comparison; It may cheer you up. Something totally worthwhile is the scene where Crumb is going through his older brother's comics and notebooks. Want to "see someone go insane?" Here you go. Warning, R. Crumb, and his friends and family's honesty is commendable yet some viewers may not appreciate the talk of masturbation, racial slurs, and gender roles.

What can you say about the iconclastic artist r. crumb, profane, sexist, racist,pervert, a genuis, this movie explains why in more ways than one his brother is sucidal who had a crush on jimmy driscoll (who ends up acheiveing his goal)his other brother is a hermit and women like him despite his attitudes. This is a good introduction to an artist who is as anti-social as he is gifted and what made him create Mr. Natural, Fritz the Cat and other characters in the Zap Comics universe the only two people who come off human is is youngest daughter and wife Arline (and not by much)Zwigoff (who has done two other great offbeat movies (ghost world, bad santa)shows him with all his warts.

....sounds like you're reviewing the PERSON rather than the FILM.

I share R's love of old time blues and big band music and, like many others, I view R. Crumb as a somewhat twisted and self-serving individual.

Having said that, this movie is a brilliant portryal of Crumb, warts and all, and deserves its 5-star rating.

Robert Crumb is the influential creator of seminal underground comics icons such as Mr. Natural and Fritz the Cat. It would be difficult to have any awareness of American pop culture without being aware of his images. Terry Zwigoff's powerful documentary chronicles Crumb's life, his work, and his family and friends with an honesty that is frequently shocking. One may revile Crumb's work as pornographic and misogynistic (a charge that he would not dispute) or appreciate it as a fearless, honest revelation of psychic baggage that most of us keep deeply and safely hidden, or a combination of the two, but it quickly becomes clear that such judgments are mostly irrelevant: Crumb creates what he does because he has no choice. At a couple points in the film, he questions whether he should have committed certain images and themes to paper. He is compelled by his own inner demons and neuroses; his art is what has saved him from falling into madness. Interviews with his brothers, Charles and Max, show just how high the stakes were for him; Charles in particular, though highly intelligent, was extremely maladjusted and suicidal and spent much of his life in one room. "Crumb" is an extraordinary document of the power of art as therapy.

With his Mr Magoo glasses big enough to reflect a film crew, Goofy-like body and mouth transfixed into a seemingly permanent wry grin, the satirical artist Robert Crumb looks like a bizarre cartoon even in real life. It is the first thing one notices in Terry Zwigoff's intense and weirdly moving documentary portrait Crumb, about the man who signposted the Sixties generation with the likes of Keep on Truckin' and Fritz, the randy cat. The next is Crumb's opening comment that if he doesn't draw, he feels 'cranky and suicidal', yet the same feelings creep into him when he is inspired to put Rotring to paper. If ink seeps through his veins, it is like some bad blood that runs in the family. Zwigoff turns his camera on Crumb's tormented brothers Charles and Max, men who gave up the pen long ago and consequently shut-down. A group photo of them as kids depicts them in their Sunday best with sharp, Fifties crew-cuts and flannel-polished complexions. But behind all the neatness, their's was an 'Ozzie and Harriet hell' made particularly difficult by sadistic father. It's a familiar story of dysfunctional values and the children's subsequent escape into a world of cartoons.
Only the twist is that Robert found that such respite already had a charge to it " he confesses to having been sexually attracted to Bugs Bunny at the age of six.
Zwigoff, who has known Crumb as a friend for more than 25 years and took six years to make the film, elicits the most candid of interviews with his subjects " to the point that they at times feel like a family-therapy session that includes the artist's ex-wives and girlfriends as well as his current spouse, the cartoonist Aline Kominsky. All have a line on his sexual obsessions, both off and on page. Indeed, the film carefully argues through his more extreme and grotesque visions of women. This is, after all, a man who sniggers as Max tells him how he used to molest girls. No doubt about it, the Crumb siblings are in pieces. The film ripples with a bleak humour regarding their situation which prompts a nervous laughter, while in the end the profound question that haunts Crumb is just how Robert drew himself out of the depths of madness that his brothers drowned in.

I`m not a big comic book fan but I was quite aware of American artist Robert Crumb and his crazy drawings.Since this film is done by close friend Terry Zwigoff,we are afforded a very rare glimpse into the life and strange times of cartoonist Robert Crumb....really facinating but it can be kind of difficult to watch at times.Since we get such a personal view of the man behind the pen,curiously,you don`t have to know about his work to enjoy this strange and beautiful picture - Zwigoff captures the essence of his friend giving you a film that unflinchingly exposes Crumbs troubled family life,sexual exploits and his own heart of darkness.The film is dedicated to older brother Charles and with good reason...his story is just as compelling as Roberts.
Funny yet sad,Crumb is one of the best films you`ll ever see.

classifying this film is simple: it's really an apple and oranges type thing. for those looking for a universal medium in the film, some kind of generic entertainment or moral conflict that just might appeal to the entire cosmos, look elsewhere, but certainly not in any other of director terry zwigoff's films (which includes ghost world, louie bluie (?) and, now, bad santa). but if you like apples and hate oranges, and if by some miracle you do have an opinion, this film and especially the world of r. crumb will latch on to you and stare forever blankly over your shoulder to the appaling, unfolding world of a consumer's day. with inspiration drawn from kafka and goya, crumb acknowledges the horrific and absurd condition of man and because of this, zwigoff is hardly needed here. the film lacks pretention. such a task need only r. crumb, his twisted family and film. this is a true and fine american story made even greater by the lack of a script or hollywood bullsh**. in an alternate universe, i may have not appreciated this film, the art, the purity of its reason. because i believe i do, however, i cannot move crumb aside or dismiss its cynicism; r. crumb is no taoist and certainly has no yin-yang tatoo on his ankle. the blinding clarity of which zwigoff portrays crumb's world, both in and out of his brain, is so bloody truthful it hurts. crumb is the most sensitive cynic i have ever witnessed, an artist (emphasis on 'artist'). a dying breed?

zwigoff, a longtime friend of r. crumb, deserves praise for wading through his depression to produce this (at the time of production zwigoff, himself, was suicidal), though i kinda believe both want solely to speak (though fame and fortune may tempt), not get watered down in their own grandeur. what other cateogory of film other than the documentary might better explain the world of r. crumb; how else could zwigoff store a homeless man, at crumb's feet, so deeply in my conscience (where so many films before had attempted the same and failed)? this film WAS walking down a city street, staring into the eyes of so many well adjusted busy bodies. it is a film of use to people who want to be of use. american film at its finest.

crumb is important to me because i watch a lot of movies and i think documentarys as a whole are important because they avoid a lot of the escapism that is key with most movies... plus crumb is fascinating because he's such a difficult person on a lot of levels and it's interesting to be a voyeur into his life. celebrity sensationalism without silicon-injected stars maybe.