Crazy

This coming-of-age movie is an adaptation of the autobiographical bestseller by Benjamin Lebert which caused a sensation on the German bookmarket in 1999 because the author was only 17 years old when he wrote it.

It tells the story of a "half-side spastic" boy who keeps changing schools in order to pass the math exams at last. His latest school is a boarding-school in Southern Bavaria (filmed at the same one that the real Benjamin attended), where he finds friends for the first time. Each of these misfits has problems of his own but they all share the confusion of puberty. This period of life is shown so authentically that everyone in the audience will be able to identify with the characters (or remember his/her own youth).

The actors are excellent (especially Tom Schilling and Julia Hummer) and very well guided by Hans-Christian Schmid, who seems to have a knack of discovering young talents. The music is great as well and excellently enhances the often melancholy mood of the film. If you liked "Fucking Amal" you'll love "Crazy". I hope it will be a success.

I'm still a bit breathless after watching this film (pretty late, 10 years after)... but it carries you away with such power that in certain moments it becomes a bit difficult to keep your cool. I suppose everyone can feel related to one or other of the characters. After reading the original novel, you know what to expect, but the way this book was put into film makes it one of the best films on the subject I've seen yet.

Benni is portrayed unflinchingly by Robert Stadlober. His role is not only believable, it is -I may be exaggerating, as always, perfect.

It's a memorable film with one of the best soundtracks I remember from a non-musical-film. Maybe the strength given to some scenes by the perfectly chosen songs is one of the reasons you must watch the film. It will tear off some of your memories, or maybe it will call your own adolescent back to tell you some things you, and I, should never forget.

This film is a portrait of the half-spastic teenage boy Benjamin who has to visit a boarding school because of his lousy marks in Math. He didn't make the best experiences in life before and got serious self-esteem issues. After a rough start at his new school, he starts making friends, falls in love with a girl and does some American Pieish teenage stuff.

Beside some comedy elements, the film is told in a very serious way, focussing on Benjamin and his problems.

If you already don't like this story outline, save your time and watch something else. If you do, please be aware of the following:

1) Benjamin is a total loser. Whatever he does, he does it terribly wrong and then he goes for self-pity all the time. For me he wasn't that kind of "charming loser" who you can feel sympathy for and laugh with. Instead he and his behavior really annoyed me and with my own teenage years not so far behind I could barely stand watching.

2) The film hardly tries to be realistic and the story seems to be but from my experience the characters just aren't (except for Janosch maybe). And yes, I know this film is based on an auto-biography written by a 17-year old - but having some experiences with German schools and German youth myself, I don't believe him.

3) Showing the sexual awakening really is an important thing for a film with this subject. But I doubt that teenage boys do an "Ejaculate on the cookie"-contest where everyone has to hit a cookie with his sperm during mass-masturbation in the woods and the loser has to eat the sperm-wet cookie afterwards. Although it kinda amused me in a contemptible way, it's nor funny neither underlining the serious attempts of this film.

4) There's a sub-plot about Benjamin's family and his father betraying his wife - still, I don't know why it's there and where to put it. It just bored me.

Well, I personally hated this film for having the character of Benjamin, being without a message, concept, scheme, whatever and it's failing attempts to be dramatic and serious. However, I can image that some people may find it sensible and touching. If you liked "The Other Sister" you'll probably like this one, too. I hated both.

17-year old boys shouldn't write an autobiography and if they do, it doesn't seem to be the best idea to make a film out of it.

2 out of 10.

It seems like Europe has finally developed its own style of teenage movies, which is far more appealing to me than the American one. There are indeed a few similarities to "Fucking Åmål", and at first I thought "Crazy" to be just some kind of a German copy of it. But then I found, it is mainly the realism and the straightness that is similar to FA; and I consider this as a new European style. Most of the feelings and emotions of this film have also appeared in my youth, and they most probably will in all upcoming generations, too. So, the film is very catching for everybody, especially males, who have been a teenager. Some of the people in the audience even shed a tear at certain moments. The only thing I thought to be a little unrealistic and even annoying is the way the sixteen year old boys seemed to think about god. I would think that most boys of that age, unless being raised in a strict religious environment, talk about god in a less reflected way. But maybe this is a typical Bavarian phenomena, or the producers wanted to push chances of receiving an US-American academy award.

I think "Crazy" is one of the best teenage movies. It's reality! You see all these, sometimes ugly, teenagers and you know that this is life. Hollywood films are so unrealistic. For example "American Pie". I love that movie but all teenagers look like grown-ups and they are so beautiful. And if you see Nadia and Jim you know that in real life such a beautiful girl would never never never even speak with such a loser. I'm sorry, but that's reality and that shows "Crazy". The boys aren't cool and don't look like models. Also the girls. The film is melancholic just as life is and that's the good thing on that film. (I hope my English isn't so bad.) It shows real problems of a teenager not only the adventures or funny sides. But i think that because of this reality teenagers don't like that film because the movie reflects their own problems and if you see a film you won't be remembered on your problems. That's it!