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C.R.A.Z.Y. is simply one of the best movies of all time. It encapsulates a time and a place – Quebec in the sixties, seventies and eighties and evokes the era with an amazing sound track and jaw-dropping acting. You're there, in the moment with Gervais, played by Michel Côté who is the macho factory-working Dad.

He's the proud father of five sons but gradually realizes that one of them is a 'sissy' and takes this on personally in the jock world he inhabits. The father is a fully rounded character, not cast in the black and white mold so prevalent in other movies of this genre as his puzzled love for his fourth son Zac, played by Marc-André Grondin, is palpable.

The movie takes off in completely unexpected directions. Zac is totally uncomfortable with his sexuality and prays all the time for a 'cure'. He just wants to be like his brothers and earn the love and acceptance of his father. It is telling that for Gervais, he can accept his druggie son but not the one he suspects of being a 'fairy'.

There is a huge amount of humour in the movie, one scene in the cathedral with the boys' choir singing "Sympathy for the Devil" brought a joyful laughter to the audience I was in. It is that kind of movie. Gervais sings Charles Aznevour's hits with predicable regularity and has a thing for Patsy Cline and her music.

It is the era when everything was changing and insular Quebec, like the rest of the world, was being exposed to the outside world of David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane. Zac embraces all of these changes and struggles with his orientation.

Nothing is ever graphically portrayed, the plot is character driven all the way with incredible little sidelines and sidebars thrown in to add to the concoction. (One scene of a drunken brawl played to a beautiful opera piece comes to mind.)

Danielle Proulx, who portrays the mother, does not have much dialogue (typical of the era) but when she does speak it packs a wallop. She has a wonderful scene with Gervais where they discuss anal sex and a couple of others where her psychic ties to her son Zac are evident but never discussed.

The film just gets under your skin, you are there, in that microcosm of time when the world was changing so drastically and we just didn't know it. 9 out of 10. Take a bow Jean-Marc Vallée; you have an absolutely amazing talent! Bravo to the entire cast and crew. Movies are a pleasure when they're this special, and yes, I would see it again.

As it has been said by others, this by all standards, not just as far French Canadian movies go, is a good movie. As somebody who grew up in Québec City I really appreciated how this movie really shows an intimate portrait of Quebec culture with all of its contradictions and beauty.

It showed how being an island of French in a sea of English does have an effect but that there is a definite Québecois culture which definitely bleeds into and mixes in with pop culture. For example the main character a young boy who is deeply conflicted with his sexuality is told he has the ability to heal people just by thinking of them if they are hurt...something which is uniquely Quebecois "old wives tale" The movie spans 2 decades or so, and the recreation of those decades from the house decor, to the music is really well done. The sound track shows in equal weights great Quebec classics along side such rock legends of the time of Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

The movie is great not because of a complicated twisty plot but rather really well acted and created characters. A very touching portrait of family life that can be appreciated not by just someone from that culture but supersedes cultural boundaries.

To say it bluntly, it is to my advice the best Quebec movie ever made, and from a more global perspective a very good movie no matter what you choose to compare it to.

It is a story about a young homosexual (although it isn't clearly stated in the film, and it probably would be closer to the truth to say he's bisexual), born in the 60's. We see him evolving through the next three decades, with all the difficulties one might see in having troubles with sexual orientation in theses years (among which the perception of other people of his age, questions about himself because of the taboo nature of the topic, problems having it accepted by parents and so on).

There's many things that make me to say it's the best Quebec-made movie ever. First of all, it's actually quite different from anything else to come from Quebec, as far as I can think of it. This is quite surprising, since almost all the action takes place in this province. It's far more dramatic and emotional than anything else before (maybe saved Sur le Seuil which was more tragic). Besides, Quebec has always produced a lot of humor-oriented movies (les Boys, Quebec-Montreal, etc), which do have some charm but also feel like they have all been made out of the same recipe, Quebec humor being one of a kind. It's also successful in not falling into traditional clichés of Quebec society in a given period of time (a thing that Séraphin, for example, failed to do), but at the same time depicting quite accurately what life was like at the time. It's also successful in incorporating a very diversified soundtrack, using both songs from Quebec and American cultures. That lacked in many films, although in reality you actually get both pretty much equally. To be able to recognize this and deal with it is worth being recognized. The casting is also pretty strong, in part because of the performances of the actors but also because there are some new faces in it. Another annoying tendency in movies made in Quebec is that often see the same faces over and over again.

If you put it in a larger frame, it is still a must see that I believe will get it's fair share of attention and prices outside the province. That's a thing that the Invasions Barbares did, but other than that it's hard to think of much more. The song track, besides being very good, is also brilliantly used. For example, the music Zac listens to is very representative of theses decades (you get Pink Floyd, David Bowie) and evolves with the character, and is also used to create some insides between the characters (like Hier encore j'avais 20 ans, that is sung every Christmas). The three main antagonists in the movie (Zac, his brother Raymond and his father) have developed relationships with each other that are by no mean static, and in fact no even always antagonistic. Even though the story is told from Zac's perspective, he's far from flawless, as all the other characters, except maybe for the mother, who's more than often the neutral, moderated one in the many conflicts that arise. Some dialogs are actually quite funny (like the one about sodomy between Zac's father and his wife, in which Michel Côté shows he's a damn good actor).

Finally, I would say that the movie is also successful in not using easy clichés when it comes to homosexuality. Many movies got fucked up when it came to that topic, but this one doesn't. As I said before, Zac is supposedly homosexual, although it's never clearly stated and he might also just be bisexual. You don't get any real dirty stuff. The conservatives point of view on the matter are mentioned (by his fathers, among others), but aren't overwhelmingly present either. The movie is well-balanced.

CRAZY was an exceptionally powerful and emotional film experience for me. This is an example of just how sublime the medium can be when everything comes together, cast, director, music. This film deserves to be graced with a string of awards and accolades.

I saw it in France with my late teens son, and we were both in tears at the end. I could not recommend more highly. I'd be interested in knowing whether it works in the same way for females, as for us it was a real father and son bonding experience. At times it felt like experiencing an intense poignant flashback experience of the epiphanies and rites of passage of one's own youth, and how we relate to our parents and siblings. A thoroughly uplifting experience.

This movie was excellent! i can not explain how good this movie is! its one of those movies that you can just sit down and understand! the depth of the characters was amazing and you can tell that the directors and writers put a lot of effort into making this movie spectacular! its a step up for french Canadian movies! The way that they made the movie tie together with all the brothers bonds and such was really good. the main relationship in the movie (piere et Zack) was really intense and i enjoyed watching it fluctuate. the music in the movie was so good! it caught the mood of the time era and the events that were taking place. The whole homosexual topic was really cool to see because as a 17 year old i've grown up in a place where everyone is more liberal and so its interesting to see how the world has evolved from the close-mindedness of that era. I think the movie just had the right mix of drama, comedy, and romance. this is the type of movie that gets you thinking about life and i think that we could all use more of those movies these days! good job to everyone involved in this movie! GO QUEBECOIS FILMS!

Tell you what, if C.R.A.Z.Y. doesn't win the all the Geminis (the Oscars in Canada) it deserves, and doesn't get at least a nomination for the Academy Award for best foreign language film, there's something seriously wrong. This emotional roller-coaster, which I had the opportunity to see this year at the Vancouver International Film Festival is WONDERFUL! The director has blended together a gay coming-of-age story that is not exclusive to gay audiences, anyone can see this and relate to the family functions and dysfunctions on view here. The acting, everyone from Emile Vallee who plays the young Zach (actually the director's son) to a awesome performance by Michel Cote as the father of the family, is also wonderful. This movie had me in tears.. TEARS! at the end of it. How often can I say that happens? Hardly ever! Finally, like Dear Wendy, the other movie I liked during this festival (though no one else I talk to seems to like it hmmm..) the meaning of the title is JUST too precious to spoil for you. You'll probably figure it out by the movie's end. I'm asking, no, BEGGING, everyone to see this.

This is an outstanding film. Quebec cinema is a hidden gem in North America and C.R.A.Z.Y. shines like a diamond among the lumps of coal put out by the big name studios in the U.S. Jean-Marc Vallée (director) proves that you do not need mega-bucks to make a quality film (C.R.A.Z.Y. cost 7 million dollars to produce). The acting is outstanding and it must have been a pleasure for the cast to work with such a great script and story. To call this a coming of age story or a coming out story would be selling it short. This is a film about family dynamics and it works on so many levels it is unfair and impossible to pigeon hole this film. Being an ex-patriot ( I am from the U.S. but now live in Montreal) I hope this films gets some play in the U.S. as it is too good to be missed. If it does not wait for it on IFC, Sundance or on DVD and see it then. Bravo to Jean-Marc Vallée and the cast and crew of this film...Outstanding work!

It is rare for a Canadian film - as opposed to an American film shot in Canada which is commonplace - to have a worldwide distribution, but even rarer for us to see a French Canadian move, but this one is a delight. Set in the Quebec of the 60s and 70s, it is the story - amusing, quirky, poignant, sad - of Zac Beaulieu (the Z of the title) born on one Christmas Day as one of five very different brothers (the initial letters of the names of the others spell out C.R.A.Z.Y. and the song with this title features on the soundtrack).

Zac's doubtful sexuality is a problem for him, his girlfriend and his Catholic parents, especially the macho but loving father played by Michel Côté and the resolution of this situation is not without confusion and pain. The film is a triumph for Jean-Marc Vallée, who directed the film and co-wrote it, and he is well served by a sensitive and nuanced performance from Marc-André Grondin as Zac.

Growing up in the 1970s in a devout Catholic household, a teenager wrestles with his sexuality in this French Canadian film that placed director Jean-Marc Vallée of 'Wild' fame on the map. The film gets off to a very good start, starting on the protagonist as a young boy with a lot of quirky comedy and some magic realism as he discovers he has gift for calming his baby brother, as he is told by a Tupperware lady that he has special healing powers and as he prays to not be a "fairy" while loving toys that girls tend to like. Wide-eyed Émile Vallée (the director's own son) is also solid in this brief turn. And it is brief because the majority of the film focuses on his teen and tween years, which are invariably less magical. Points of interest include a crush on a female cousin, the intimacy he also enjoys from smoking with other boys and his father's insistence in 'curing' any homosexuality. These issues tend to get repeated again and again though and soon lose their freshness. The quirky comedy of the initial section is mostly absent too. There are some nifty scenes in which he goes on an impromptu pilgrimage, but ultimately the film feels longer than it is. Marc- André Grondin as the teen/tween protagonist is certainly quite good; so is Michel Côté as his father throughout. In short, the film is watchable until the end, even if the first section seems far more powerful than what follows.

This film shines. It exudes something tangibly different in its at times sensual photography, its sinuous, undulating changes of speed and motion. The story is refreshing, in that, although familiar, it is seen from a new, reluctant perspective - for me at any rate. I loved the embattled religiosity, that there was a loose acceptance in that Zac respected the beliefs of his parents, but never hammers home their differences in that respect. In others, though, inevitably there will be conflict, and perhaps particularly at the time of setting. An excellent character study in so many ways - even secondary characters are satisfactorily fleshed out, or have enough about them to warrant sympathy. Well written, well scored, brilliantly acted, and photographed.

Must go buy, now!

I approached this film with high expectations, and I was absolutely blown away.

This is one of the best films about coming of age, coming out and coming to terms that I have ever seen. It is easily the best film I have seen this year. If you had any doubts that Canadian cinema is among the best in the world, they will be forever demolished once you see this diamond of a film.

Apparently, industry insiders were equally impressed, as the film now has distributors in 40+ countries. Rush out and see it, or look for it on DVD sometime in the not too distant future.

(I wish I wrote this in french because I will not be able to mean all in English) This movie is simple but accurate. Sometimes the subject don't need to be complicated, the emotions are enough. The life of a family searching for happiness but who sometimes find misfortune in the path. The characters are all representative of many generations. Nostalgia will get most of people. The actors are all great especially Michel Côté, Marc-André Grondin et Pierre-Luc Brilliant. Video and audio editing come from genius. The music is O_O (read the Trivia and you'll understand). I have nothing more to say than this movie will give you what you awaited for. You have to see it ... again. Félicitations Jean-Marc !!!

This is a movie I will never forget, which is so rare. It is a diamond. The best Canadian movie ever. the best movie about the 70s ever. The best movie about religion stigmas and evolution of the occidental societies ever. You will hear from this movie.

The director, jean-Marc Vallée, brings us in the peaceful and warm-hearted Quebec of the 60s and 70s which is a period of great changes in all North America. The music of the film is magic and you will be astonished but the performance of the actors. Michel Côté as the father, and Danielle Proulx as the mother are so realistic. it's unbelievable.

Probably the best movie since Mireilles' City of God.

Phenomenal! Amazing movie, superbly acted. (Michel Cote is nothing less than perfect in the role of Gervais Beaulieu.) Nothing amiss. Great music, drama, emotions.

I was in Montreal briefly in July and saw the movie twice. Came out as awed by it the second time as I did the first around. Although it could have been filmed in the States (the story is not particular to Quebec), it belongs to Quebec and to the people who lived similar experiences growing up in the 70s. My only hope is that it will get the recognition it deserves on the international scene.

I heard American producers are thinking of buying the rights to film it in the States... I say they should put subtitles and let it ride the wave to success.

Elsewhere in these reviews you been given excellent descriptions of performances and plot development. But, here and now, let's look a little deeper into our thinking about the three more important members of this C.R.A.Z.Y family: there's Michel Cote's "Dad"---he's the anchor around which "Zac's" life raft circles. And Marc-Andre Grondin's "Zac"---he's the one never so happy as when his father is accepting him.......acknowledging him. But never forget Danielle Proulx's "Mom"---she's every gay boy's "dream-delight" of a parent, the one who knows how to keep that 'different' child on an even keel.

Here's a film trip downright engineered to dig up / dredge out memories of times with "Dad".......times in car washing driveways, times of just-you-two car rides----"connecting times" you'd thought....you'd hoped......but maybe not. And for many of us, perhaps other not so happy memories raising their ugly heads-----yet despite such uneasy moments, we've still got to say: Thank you, Director Vallee.

Sudden inspiration!......did YOU catch it: Cote's "Dad" and Grondin's "Zac" are the 2-sides of the same coin. The two of them are more alike than any other 2 family members shown in this film. Sadly, how many wasted years and how much heartache til they found that out and, eventually, owned up to it. Repeating here, I believe a lot of "Dad's" 'problem' was that he sometimes realized he was a great deal more like "Zac" (or vice versa) than he was comfortable with. That's when their relationship would 'cycle down'. Ah, poor "Zac," how does one cope with that? Took him a very long time to figure out how to do so, didn't it?

Finally, one thing truly stands out for me, and that is how very difficult it has to be for an, essentially, first-time theatrical film actor to, let's face it, carry a 2+ hour movie.........this being Grondin's first-ever theatrical release film since reaching teenage. And as a final thought about Marc-Andre, why not admit it: what an amazing kid; even more, what a great 'package'.......what a gorgeous ass! What more could Grondin want from life?

PS--I'll tell you this---I'm gonna buy anything of Grondin's work that comes along. And Marc-Andre: if you're seeking an immigration sponsor, look no farther; I'm here.

****

My list of Canadian movies is embarrassingly short so, boy, I'm glad for this: Rich, exquisite coming-of-age chronicle of Quebeq youngster and his suburban family (including four brothers!) through the '60s, '70s and early '80s... who have to come to terms with split generation values, religion, drugs, sibling rivalry and foremost - the protagonist's lifelong struggle to establish and accept his sexual identity.

A memorably moving, sometimes sweetly old-fashioned and beautifully nuanced movie; a thankfully rare multi-faceted portrait of a family and its members through changing times. Extremely well made with great use of time period flavors, including music score choices. Tries to pack a bit much in sometimes and slightly overlong, with a detail that strikes me odd: no school elements whatsoever... in a teenager's life? But still quite a French- Canadian treat, and understandably a festival favorite!

7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe.

Well, I'm not very good expresing myself in English. I would prefer to write it in Spanish or Basque, but I'll try to do as well as I can.

I've just seen this film and I think that is marvellous. I used to love french films, but the Franco-Canadian films are very great too (see if you can Leolo).

The director and the play writer has madden a fantastic work converging reality and fantasy at once. I mean, sometimes in the film we can see fantastic elemments but paradoxically these elemments don't take away eloquence and realism to the film.

The director also has used the comedy to tell us the story, and that's really thankful for the audience. We make fun as the same time we become sad. Make a good comedy is more difficult than producing a tear-jerked drama.

Please, just go to your closest cinema (theatre) and see it. If you ca in Original version with subtitles ( I haven't got that luck, the 99% of the films in Spain are dubbed. I've to wait for the DVD to enjoy the film in french)

PS. I'm sorry because of my English.

I'm surprised this wasn't nominated for best foreign language Oscar, especially in the year of Brokeback. It's a great story, and the homosexuality is played out at times as an incidental feature in a regular coming-of-age story. The director neither washes over the character's sexuality, nor throws it in your face like so many other supposedly daring movies do. Too often, movies about homosexuality deliberately make it graphic (maybe that's not the best word?) just so that the director can say, "Well, you see? The public wasn't ready for it and that's why they didn't like it." The Hanging Garden (a good movie otherwise) has that type of problem: a sex scene between two very young teenage boys. C.R.A.Z.Y. deals with it admirably, and people shouldn't be put off it, or attracted to it, just because of the subject. It's the story and characters that matter.

Jean-Marc Vallee's lively film 'C.R.A.Z.Y.' is a story of growing up gay in a large, dysfunctional, working class and deeply religious family in French Canada. The characters are all believable, though not particularly likable: best of the bunch is Michael Cote as the main character's father. The film has certain generic period elements (it's set mostly between 1966 and 1981), but offsets them with its individual details; there's a freshness (but perhaps also a certain shallowness) in how some of the material is presented. At the same time, the film reminded me of my own observations on visiting French Canada: that it's a place that is not so much a little bit of France in America, but rather, a little bit of America that speaks French.