Lunatics: A Love Story

Lunatics is a great example of how you can tell a sensitive, funny, crazy story with two basic sets. You can have not the millions of Spielberg, but you can make a good movie with a good story.

The day every time in Hollywood come back from nonsense to senses, they realize that is a guy named Josh Becker, the director of this movie. Becker's films are really clever, funny, and change something in you. I am his fan from that night some years ago when I see "Lunatics" in TV.

Then I did think he was some Sam Raimi sidekick, but NO. Becker is the original thing, he's real real, and love the cinema how nobody more in the world. If you is a wannabe of filmmaker go to his site and read his manifesto, "Dogma 2006". He's our great hope for better movies. Becker's better.

In L. A., agoraphobic Hank Stone (Ted Raimi) has not left his apartment since moving in six months ago. He has disturbing delusions about brain spiders, a mad doctor, bad rappers, and other stuff. Nancy (Deborah Foreman) thinks that she's cursed. She gets dumped by her cruel boyfriend Ray (Bruce Campbell) and loses her hotel room. She gets chased by a gang of street thugs. A random phone call brings the two loners together.

It takes almost forty minutes to bring the two leads together. It takes too long to get going. Quite frankly, I wonder if this would be better as her story over a crazy night. He could be a part of her crazy night. 80's star Deborah Foreman faded out as she advanced into her 30's. It's an old Hollywood story. This low budget B-movie is reason enough for her to start thinking about retiring. It's not that good. Hank's surreal delusions aren't compelling or funny enough. I keep thinking about the rappers. Only weak comedies think that those guys are funny. The movie seems more interested in its b-level special effects. It needs better humor or better romantic chemistry. It needs something better.

Well, if this movie is the "epitome of Sam Raimi films", it's some kind of weird coincidence, because this is not a Sam Raimi film.

Moving on, this movie is probably really only worth watching if you're a hardcore fan of someone who's in it. I saw it for Bruce Campbell. Frankly, there aren't really any redeeming qualities. The actors all do decent jobs with what they're given, but the movie just feels really dull and empty, like it doesn't really warrant a whole movie. It also reeks pretty badly of the early '90s, which is either a reason to watch or avoid, depending on who you are. At any rate, unless your local rental store is pretty amazing, you'll probably be hard-pressed to find this movie save by spending upwards of 70 dollars to buy it online. It's definitely not worth the 70 dollars. Bruce Campbell doesn't really even get to do anything particularly Bruce Campbell-ish. No snappy one-liners or anything.

Anyway, if by any chance your girlfriend buys you this movie for your birthday, you might as well watch it since it came your way. Also watch out for the whole differing religions thing, it might be a problem in another three months.

The epitome of a Sam Raimi film, this movie is not for everyone. If you don't like Raimi's film making, stay away, but if you do you're in for a treat. Ted Raimi does a fine job as a quasi-sane recluse who just wants to be loved, but still has some psychological issues to work out.

What a hoot! Sort of like watching a boring golf tournament on the first tee at Florida's TPC Sawgrass and then suddenly a herd of alligators come out of nowhere and you laugh your a$$ off as everyone in the tournament tramples over each other running away from the snapping alligator jaws.

Lunatics starts off weirdly (and that is usually what dark comedies do) with the two main characters Hank (Ted Raimi) and Nancy (Deborah Foreman) showing us that they are two losers with a capital "L" and just by chance the desperate Nancy picks up a ringing pay phone on a street corner only to hear Ted's desperate voice reaching out for a girl, "any girl" to come over to his place.

Much like a Woody Allen's romantic comedies, these two main characters Hank and Nancy get to know each other under very strange circumstances rather quickly and I am surprised that this 1991 film didn't end up being a trilogy of films as their characters and their acting were top notch.

Yes it is a dark comedy. And yes it is a really quirky story. But yet the film kept me entertained throughout and it ended so quickly that I wanted more of Hank and Nancy. I tried purchasing this film but it is not available in North America but I will put this film on my wish list and hope it is released in Blu Ray format soon.

I give it a funny and respectable 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.