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Michel Côté, Marc-Andre Grondin, Danielle Proulx, ??mile Vallée, Maxime Desbiens Tremblay ... see more see more... , Pierre-Luc Brillant , Alex Gravel , Félix-Antoine Despatie , Mariloup Wolfe , Jean-Louis Roux , Francis Ducharme , Helen Gregoire , Johanne Lebrun , Natasha Thompson , Claude Gagnon , Michel Laperrière , Mohammed Majd , Anik Vermette

A middle-class teenage misfit living in '70s era Montreal dreams of abandoning his familiar hometown surroundings to seek a brighter future in director Jean-Marc Vallée's character-driven drama. A sex... read more read more...ually-confused Christmas Day baby who likes to march to the beat of his own drummer, Zachary Beaulieu (Marc-André Grondin) nevertheless longs to live up to his old-fashioned father's (Michel Cote) decidedly more traditional expectations. As Zachary seeks solace in the sounds of Pink Floyd and David Bowie, his mother assures him that he's bound for greater things and testosterone-fueled siblings raise hell around the house. Despite feeling bound by his comparatively normal surroundings, the revelations provided by David Bowie's "Space Oddity" allows the disheartened Zachary the luxury of dreaming. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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92% liked it

21,772 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

17 critics

R, 2 hr. 9 min.

Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée

Release Date: May 27, 2005

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DVD Release Date: February 20, 2007

Stats: 1,393 reviews

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C.R.A.Z.Y. (Crazy) Marc-Andre Grondin C.R.A.Z.Y. (Crazy) C.R.A.Z.Y. (Crazy) C.R.A.Z.Y. (Crazy) Emile Vallee im gorgeous.. did you know
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Flixster Reviews (1,393)

  • fb1038944442
    November 18, 2011
    fb1038944442
    CRAZY is one of the finest films ever produced in Canada, let alone French Canada. It is note and picture perfect. Above all else, this is a family movie, albeit not one for very young kids. Jean Marc Vallee is a prodigy and a visual and editing genius. The cast are wall to ... read morewall superb, but the performances of Michel Cote and Danielle Proulx as the loving, working class parents of a brood of five boys are deep, funny, and profoundly human. The subtle, handsome and charismatic Marc-Andre Grondin as Zac, the sexually confused protagonist has a huge future ahead of him.

    On paper, this may look like a 'coming of age' or 'coming out' movie about growing up gay, and that is indeed the main conflict of the film. However, the family, all of them, are a living, breathing, loving and flawed unit. The sexual identity theme is incidental to what is a much larger and more meaningful message about family, love and acceptance. What Vallee shows in his script is an empathy and understanding of a wide array of different points of view; generations, and varying levels of self-awareness.

    The 60s and 70s setting, (this is my own era, so I'm qualified) is staged in a completely convincing, organic and restrained way. It's never cheesy or ironic nostalgia. The songs by Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Charles Aznavour and especially Patsy Cline are contextually perfect, and support the drama and characters seamlessly. Valee's occasional flights of fancy and surrealism are just the right amount of seasoning to a mostly realistic film, but are never excessive. The 'Sympathy for the Devil' dream sequence is celebratory, joyful and extremely pertinent to a changing society, (in particular a changing Quebec which at the time is abruptly transitioning away from the dominant influence of the Catholic church).

    I could not recommend this film highly enough. It lives in the same pantheon as coming of age cinema classics like 'The 400 Blows', 'Fanny and Alexander' or 'My Life as a Dog', in my humble opinion. Don't miss it.
  • Tomassgringo
    February 7, 2011
    Tomassgringo
    Very strong performances in the story of one boy trying to find himself in a family in a loving but dysfunctional family. Seeing a story similar to my own in a different culture was nice for me as well.
  • 76Majikat
    October 22, 2010
    76Majikat
    The most impressive part of this film I feel is that it didn't need lots of explicit footage to tell the tale, nor did it focus totally on the Sexual element as such, but more of the every day things of growing and discovering his sexuality through variences in the people around ... read morehim and also the attitudes of those close.

    Cleverly working it's way from Birth to present day you really feel you see the character grow and develop before your eyes.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 18, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Growing up in this family, you'd have to be... C.R.A.Z.Y.
  • CloudStrife84
    June 29, 2008
    CloudStrife84
    Never did I expect a Canadian family drama to be so highly enjoyable. Immediately from its first scenes it pulled me right in, placing me in a state of fascination for its very tangible and well-written characters. A feeling which gratefully would come to last throughout the enti... read morere plot.

    Besides the qualitative writing, the true forte of this movie lies in its outstanding directing. Not since "Amelie from Montmartre" have I been treated to such a heavenly combo of good storytelling and visual superbness. At least, not as it comes to non-Hollywood productions.

    All in all a must-see if you're in the mood for a great foreign-language film. Or as the french-canadians would say: Très bien!
  • Stinger839
    June 3, 2008
    Stinger839
    Extremely well acted. Liking the fact that the director is making the effort to produce a cinematically engaging film in addition to chucking emotions at us. The imagery is effective where the plot is at times bare and too calculated. Also the most deceptive titling I've come acr... read moreoss in a while, though I like that there is actually thought and repeating theme creating the odd title. It's on loads of my "recommended to you" lists, so when I pulled it up randomly out of the file fray, I was expecting a 70s American exploitation film. I didn't know I was gonna get a modern French film set in the 70s that exploits one character's "coming of out" plot to drive its main character changes. The sternness of the father is as compelling as say, Ma Vie en Rose, but the film is too tied up on Zac's sexuality, causing little attention to be paid to three of the five brothers (and their names make the title). The cinematic devices and music are happenin' but this just ain't "Breakfast on Pluto". The script is a facade of neatness, but with no real chunky thematic backbone to it. Some themes are overtly played with, but there is no emotion from the characters and story alone (without the sappy music and speed tampering shots). Worth a watch, but at the end of the day, just doesn't feel real or unreal enough to work. Falls into that obvious area in between - undeniably fictional drama.
  • jennifxu
    August 29, 2007
    jennifxu
    sometimes made me cry, or laugh, or fall asleep. very uneven movie and even as i was sucked into the more emotional areas in the movie i was unsure of what to feel.
  • merillupin
    January 4, 2009
    merillupin
    Another excellent gay movie. The transitions between time periods were flawless and unnoticeable. The actors were brilliant. They must have spent a small fortune on the music. Fascinating.
  • danieljparsons
    November 29, 2007
    danieljparsons
    Absolutely stunning film, telling the story of Zac and his family of four older brothers, mother and father over 25 years from his birth in 1960. I have so many superlatives for this film I risk spouting hyperbole, but this is truly a terrific piece of work.

    Zac, born on Chris

    ... read moretmas day, grows up in a Catholic family (and his mother is convinced that that his date of birth means he has powers to heal the sick) feeling isolated, an outcast - he feels inexplicably different and longs only to fit in. As a child, Zac seems to be favored by his father but as he enters his teens there's a key shift change in their relationship and things are never the same.

    This has to be one of the most successful coming of age films, and more specifically, coming out films I have ever seen. C.R.A.Z.Y. features an exceptional performance from Marc-André Frondin as Zac, who convinces as a 15 year old right up until his mid twenties, inspired direction, with an array of camera and effects techniques that never grow tired and avoid pastiche, a perfect soundtrack (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Patsy Kline, Pink Floyd) and a resonant, moving story. Gripping from beginning to end credits, the film finishes on a hopeful note that feels genuinely earned. *Love* it.
  • MightySparks
    February 7, 2011
    MightySparks
    I decided one day to pick a random movie on Foxtel and watch it without reading anything about it. This was the movie I chose. Originally I was just going to watch the first five minutes and then go play Sims 2, as I was sitting out there deciding on names for my Prosperity Chall... read moreenge (hence why most of the names of the Sims in that challenge come from this movie). Anyway, although it seemed kind of disjointed and random, I did enjoy it. But I am bias towards movies containing gay themes, as I love gay movies (yeah I don't know).

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Critic Reviews

John Monaghan
November 10, 2006
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

The French Canadian import is also wildly entertaining in its views of Catholicism, music and especially family. Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen
November 11, 2005
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

A boundlessly energetic coming-of-age story set during the Age of Aquarius/

Susan Walker
October 14, 2005
Susan Walker, Toronto Star

The subject matter may be deep and the family conflicts serious, but Vallée leavens his story with gentle satire and outright humour. Full Review

Rick Groen
October 14, 2005
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A full-to-bursting picture that shouts and whispers and darts and meanders and fascinates and frustrates and teems at the seams with raw vitality. Full Review

Jay Weissberg
September 15, 2005
Jay Weissberg, Variety

The whole family can feel comfortable watching C.R.A.Z.Y. Full Review

Ali Catterall
December 5, 2008
Ali Catterall, Film4

A warm-hearted if predictable rites-of-passage movie, enlivened by some surreal flourishes and a stomping glam soundtrack. Full Review

Boyd van Hoeij
July 18, 2007
Boyd van Hoeij, Kamera.co.uk

If Brokeback Mountain was the bleak gay drama of 2005 that all audiences could enjoy, then another 2005 feature, the equally heterosexually enjoyable C.R.A.Z.Y., puts the colour back in the adjective ... Full Review

Kevin N. Laforest
February 19, 2007
Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal

Thoroughly entertaining and visually arresting. Full Review

Jette Kernion
January 24, 2007
Jette Kernion, Cinematical

C.R.A.Z.Y. succeeds by touching on the kinds of events that could happen to any of us. Full Review

Don Willmott
December 28, 2006
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com

It will exhaust your eyes, your ears, and your mind. Full Review

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