C.R.A.Z.Y. - Loucos de Amor

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 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 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!

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.

****

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!