Pazzi in Alabama

Antonio Banderas has really shown that he can bring out the best in his actors. Both Melanie Griffith and Rod Steiger gave the most controlled performances I've seen from them in years. Lucas Black, who is still new, was terrific.

There was a lot of humor in this picture. But it had nothing to do with the civil rights issue. All of the humor had to do with a bizarre aspect of the murder.

I highly recommend this film. It makes you cry and it makes you laugh. And it's for all members of the family over 12.

I loved this film.

I am not normally a fan of Melanie Griffith, but she is superb as the Southern Belle, Lucille.

Antonio Banderas does a brilliant job behind the camera, telling two stories both about the difference between Justice and what is Just.

Rod Steiger is superb in his cameo role as the judge.

Watched this because it has Antonio Banderas's directing his wife Melanie Griffith.

There are 2 ongoing stories set in the 60s in Alabama. An abused wife (Melanie Griffith) kills her husband and sets off to Hollywood to make it as an actress carrying her husband's head in a hatbox. Her nephew (Lucas Black) witnesses the local sheriff murder a young black boy after a dispute about using the local swimming pool. It's part feel good fantasy and civil rights commentary.

Melanie still looks young and slim and gives her signature ditzy performance. The filming is quite beautifully and colorfully done. Worth a watch.

I had seen the trailers several times for this movie before running across it in the video store looking through the titles for something I had not seen. After seeing it, I wondered why I had not heard more of it. The trailers did not give away anything about this wonderfully written script. Antonio Banderas did a great job in direction, but Lucas Black stole the show with his acting. After thinking he was masterful in "Sling Blade," it was great seeing him get another role to show off his talents. Steiger was perfect for the role, although anyone could have played the Robert Wagner role. However, seeing such big stars playing cameos, should tell you that the script was a great read. I don't want to give you any insight into the story line, because it is so well interwoven that it has to be seen to understand. It gets nicely tied up in the end from a small statement from Lucas Black. Melody Griffith has not always been a favorite of mine, mostly because she does always pick roles that she fits, but in this one, I cannot imagine anyone else fitting the role. She did an excellent job. I say that, because there were parts where I forgot it was her, and got caught up in the actual character she was playing.

This is one that is definitely worth a look. The overtones of the era are played nicely and figure greatly in the story line. Why it was overlooked when the big awards came out, I have no idea. This one should have won something. It is that good.

Crazy in Alabama is one of those films that slipped through the cracks right before the new century, but it does have some assured direction from Antonio Banderas and a great performance by this then wife, Melanie Griffith.

Griffith plays her usual semi-ditz with a heart of gold, but with a southern accent this time. She's just murdered her husband, left her entire litter of children with her mother, and, in turn, forced out her two nephews from living under that roof. The film follows her journey to L.A. to become a movie star as her husband's decapitated head (which she carries in a hat box) taunts her from beyond the grave and her nephews get mixed up in southern, small town police brutality and race relations in the 1960s.

Because Crazy in Alabama is about two very different storylines, it can sometimes feel a bit tonally bizarre. One minute, you're watching Griffith nab a role on Bewitched as her husband's decapitated head taunts her and the next, you're seeing a young black boy murdered in cold blood by a crooked cop. It's an uneasy mix of comedy and drama that don't always go well together, but there are enough interesting ideas, good performances, and directorial flair to keep it entertaining.