Crazy Love

Entertaining and mildly provoking film documents the weird highs and strange lows associated with a decades-long bizarre courtship of one Linda Pugach by her mildly insane husband Burt. Simultaneously amusing and depressing, the progressively ridiculous reality these two ill-fated lovers found themselves in is enough to warrant viewing. Making great use of archival footage, the filmmakers really hit their stride near the end, when laying out the skewed romantic timelessness which pervades the Pugach's interactions. The film does take some time to build viewer interest (supposing you were too young to remember this in the headlines) but when it does get particularly interesting near the end, rarely does studying the brilliant intricacies of human irony feel more poetic.

The bizarre true story of Linda Riss and Burt Pugach.

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called the film "somewhat sickening, mildly gonzo" and added, "Crazy Love takes a mildly hyperventilated approach to its subject; there's a hint of tabloid sensationalism, a splash of kitsch sentimentalism." This is all very true and it is just an incredible story overall, bringing in William Kunstler, the Attica Riot, and other events in the history of New York. Was this a story that will make the history books? No. But it is among the strangest true crime stories ever to occur, and luckily somewhat was clever enough to track down all the interested parties for posterity.

Interesting story about obsessive "love". Definitely a start to modern stalking legislation. But, at the end I was asking myself what the heck did I just watch.

"Crazy Love" again shows us just how compelling real people and situations can be when compared to their fictional counterparts. The screenwriter has not yet been born who could come up with such a detailed, character-rich, period-to-present story. Simply outrageous, you can smell the ink of the old New York tabloids wafting from the screen. This film is endlessly entertaining, fascinating, scary, funny, familiar, confusing and confounding. I think that New Yorkers will find the film and it's tone particularly interesting. The stock footage and stills are outdone only by the amazing Bronx/Brooklyn-ese accents whining from this quirky but genuine group. Think of it, single scandalous crime whose layers have been evolving and unfolding for 50 years now. A must see!

The nice thing about this story is that it doesn't show what it pretends to--that with age comes wisdom. It shows that demented people are walking around us all the time and you can even be married to one so stay awake and never sleep while dating. Burt is a sociopath with psychopathic tendencies. Linda is a lovely girl who is stuck on herself. It's a union made in Hell. He is pretty much unrepentant after disfiguring her, but supposedly still in love with her (huh-Brooklynese)! She is frightened out of her mind but still able to be wooed by him (her ego demands satisfaction). He is a known whore, she's a tease. It's inevitable that people like this are drawn to each other in life. The only remorse he shows is in getting old. He's upset that he has no cachet anymore, not that he frigged up a woman's life. Their faces reveal the delight at being able to 'tell their stories' after all these years and that anyone would care enough to watch. We have become the ultimate voyeurs. Most of the friends, family, witnesses are elderly boozed out/smoked out floozies and pimps. It could have cult status. It's a film that ought to have been made by John Waters. Watch it knowing that these people have lived and learned nothing. Watch it knowing that though you'll try, you probably will NEVER reach beyond your high school mentality. Who you are in h.s. is basically who you are the rest of your life regardless of career, style, money, etc. A thug is a thug is a thug. A cheerleader is a cheerleader is an old cheerleader.