Stark Raving Mad

Stark Raving Mad is exactly that! One of those movies where you check your brains at the door and just go along for the ride - and what a fun, breakneck ride it is. Seann William Scott has made a reputation for goofy performances - but this isn't one of them. And much to the better. What happened to the distribution of this movie is anyone's guess, although it sounds like some dumb studio exec simply didn't see it. A convoluted story about a break-in into a bank vault that is masked by the deafening music of an ongoing disco rave. Diverse characters with multiple story lines constantly threaten to derail the progress of the break-in, much to the viewer's delight. Funny, funny, funny. This has got to be the best performance from Seann William Scott, with his occasional asides to the audience regarding his personal philosophy on life. The story is constantly on the move, with a great, pounding soundtrack, unpredictable laugh-out-loud twists and an edgy cutting style that pitches you forward all the time. Kudos to everyone involved in the making of this movie! Sit back and enjoy!

This most be the best direct to video movie in a long time. I bought this movie in May when it was released on dvd in Norway. I just watched it again a couple days ago, and I will say that Star Raving Mad is good. Is not great, but it's better than most of crap the you see in your local theater. This is the best Seann W. Scott film since Road Trip and the first American Pie. All his other movies he just played a different version of Stifler. Mostly a more stupid one. But this he have finally shaked of Stifler. Scott was Ben McGewen in this movie. He was cool and smart and very good written. Didn't resemblance Stifler at all. In all his other movie, you are thinking about Stifler when you see Scott. But not this time. He finally did it. If you want to see Scott grow as an actor, don't rent American Wedding or Bulletproof Monk. Rent this. Or do like me and buy it.

For the rest of the movie, you got a good plot. You have seen it before, but not in this way. Scott is joined by a great cast of characters. His side-kick, the uncool Rikki (played by the funny Timm Sharp from Undeclared), a superstitious safe cracker, Jeffrey (Patrick Breen), a demolition expert (John B. Crye), that work best high, and the only person the really know what she doing, and keeps the group together, the computer expert, Betty (Suzy Nakamura). You also got to FBI agents played by Dave Foley and Kavana Smith, a ex-girlfriend (Monet Mazur), Adam Arkin as a night club owner, and Lou Diamond Phillips as the bad guy Gregory. In a pretty stereo-typical role. But with a cool hair cut.

SRM is funny and is really good written, but the end feel a little flat. You got a stand off with two FBI agents and bunch of bad guys, and you don't get a shoot out. That's disappointing. But over all a good movie.

I gave it 7 because I think it could be a lot better, and it could have a cool stand off in the end. But still very good and funny.

Direct to video it seems in North America, while it hit theatres in Europe.

I saw this in a convenience store rental area - DVD for $1.99. The name of the movie's star was written larger than the title of the movie. It reaked of B-movie caliber. The name? Sean William Scott! I liked Sean in Road Trip, Final Destination, Dude Where's My Car and Evolution. His fame though comes from the American Pie movies. You'll also see him in Bulletproof Monk and The Rundown. He hasn't shown a ton of range in his acting ability and the closest he came to carrying a movie was in Dude where he co-starred. He has always done his role effectively though so after a few visits to the convenience store we decided to give him a try.

I didn't expect much, and was shocked by what I viewed. Not only is Sean the star of this movie but he carries this movie with a superb cast, script, and direction. From the beginning to the end this was a classic in the making. From the stop scenes where characters talk to the camera, to the white haired Lou Diamond Phillips, to the Chinese Food delivery guy and further. I laughed and laughed and kept feeling "What a great movie!" Here's the gist you could easily get from the back of the box. They're going to pull a robbery using a Rave as a cover. In the course of the movie, they have many hurdles to overcome. During this, funny stuff happens.

Sean plays the straight guy and a relatively serious role - very different from his other roles. He pulls it off without a hitch. Lou Diamond Phillips (Young Guns fame) is another surprise. You won't believe how good he is until you see him in this role. Easily the best of Lou I've ever seen. The whole cast was fantastic but I do have to mention Timm Sharp who's character was hard to like, but well developed and acted with precision. One would be remiss not to mention Dave Foley who played a part that was totally unlike anything I've ever seen from him. Truly amazing he was. Like I said, there wasn't a bad actor in the movie.

Drew Daywalt and David Schneider seemed to make great directors and great writers. As Dave Foley said (the gist of it anyway from the DVD extras) - the difference between one director and two directors is that with two director's you have to pretend to listen to TWO people. Dave's humour! This movie is well developed, it has good camera action, and leaves you feeling like you spent two hours wisely.

It's a classic for me and will sit on my shelf proudly displayed while I mention it to everyone who visits!

Pick up the movie!

Congratulations to all those involved in STARK RAVING MAD on a job well done! I was lucky enough to be present at one of the recent screenings and I enjoyed myself thoroughly!

Before I get into specific comments, let me me tell you a little bit about my personal likes and dislikes so you have some sort of frame of reference.

Some of my favorite films of late have been ELECTION, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME and RUSHMORE. I'm a huge fan of Woody Allen (The current frontrunner is CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS) and the Coen Brothers. I also love the KIDS IN THE HALL, A FISH CALLED WANDA and GROUNDHOG DAY, which, to me, is the perfect comedy.

That being said...

STARK RAVING MAD isn't perfect but God bless the filmmakers for trying and, on many more occasions than not, succeeding! This is a smart comedy that looks great, has a kick ass soundtrack, well-rounded characters, a plot that keeps us on our toes without being confusing or illogical and a heart that hits some pretty serious emotional moments without ever being trite and saccharine.

Here's how I'd sum up this film:

FAWLTY TOWERS in a rave!

Applause for Scott (Who really impressed me! He pulls off a tough role and debunks whatever theories his agents are probably telling him - Enough with the AMERICAN PIE movies already!) and Tim Sharp, who carries the emotional core of the film squarely on his shoulders. Both actors work well together and have a nice chemistry. In addition, the pizza delivery guy is HILARIOUS. I loved the pizza delivery guy! I also loved the guy on Scott's team who inadvertently takes ecstasy in the middle of the job! Very, very funny! And Dave Foley is great as the slimiest but funniest FBI agent I've ever seen!

Go see this film! It's a fun ride!

Hooray for the people in Hollywood who still take chances!

I literally just finished watching this film and to say that I was impressed is an understatement. This film is good, really good. It obviously has its flaws and some of the plot lines contained in the film are a little strange but overall the film works. The film follows Ben McGewen (Scott) and his band of thieves as they try to break into a bank vault through the wall of a night club where McGewen works. Over the course of the film, villains, the police and many other funny incidents are introduced to the audience and they all provide comedy and substance to the movie. There are several things in this film which must be applauded. First, Scott's performance is spot on and shows he can do characters outside of the Stifmeister. The supporting cast are also very good. However, what is truly great about this film, apart from the editing and direction, is the plot. Drew Daywalt and David Schneider (writers and directors) manage to create an environment where the audience are sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the next bizarre occurrence to get in the way of the job. Sure, the conclusion is done well, but its the actually story that makes this film worth watching. Im surprised this film went straight to video and I hope that more people see it, if not for the immortal lines: Scott: So what are you doing now? Jeffrey Jay: I rob banks. Scott: What you doing here then? Jeffrey Jay: Robbing a bank. Brilliantly acted, directed and with a very suitable musical score I give this film an easy 8 out of 10.