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Amos Lassen wrote on 02/10/2011:

“C.R.A.Z.Y.”
A Canadian Beauty
Amos Lassen
Here is an amazing and bold little movie “C.R.A.Z.Y.” (Red Envelope Entertainment). It has already been hailed as the best movie ever made in Quebec. “C.R.A.Z.Y.” is the story of a young homosexual (although nerve really stated in the film) who was born in the 1960s. The viewer watches as he evolves and comes to terms with his sexual identity. The questions he has about himself could not be answered then because in the 1960s homosexuality was not openly discussed. The best adjective that I can use about this film is to say that it is positively charming. The cast is strong, the music is great, and the photography is clear and beautiful.
The main character, Zac, who is far from the perfect son and is becoming aware of just who he is. We watch as he grapples with his life and with his family as well as oncoming sexuality. There is a great deal of humor here and the drama quotient is high.
Basically the movie is about two love affairs—a father’s love for his sons and a son’s love for his father. Zac Beaulieu, out main character was born on Christmas day, 1960 and is not like his brothers. Spanning the next twenty years, Zac embarks on a journey of life which leads him to self acceptance and to become the love of his father’s life.
Zac’s mother regards him as her “baby Jesus”. When he turns 15, he sees Paul for the first time and Paul is his cousin’s boyfriend and a dancer. His father looks favorably upon him and even though dad feels that he is gay, he is very proud when Zac and a girlfriend come home and go into the bedroom. But Zac knows that girls are not really for him.
This is not just a gay coming out story; it is about growing up Catholic and believing in miracles. The director, Jean-arc Vallee, uses fantasy passages to show Zac’s fantasies and one scene where Zac is in a large cathedral, Zac sees himself as an angel who rises above the congregation to the music of the Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”. The irony is gorgeous.
“C.R.A.Z.Y.” is about the dynamics of family and social change but mainly it is about fathers and sons and the acceptance of that which is different. The movie is deep and the conflict in the family are serious but Vallee treats it as a social satire and great humor. Sometimes the symbolism gets heavy but the audience is constantly moved by the movie. It’s a universal story about family indulgences and s a pleasure from first frame to the credits.
Some of you may remember that the movie was Canada’s entry into last year’s Oscar race for best foreign film but did not win. The fact that it was n nominated speaks of its quality. This insightful film speaks to all generations and manages tragedy and comedy simultaneously. The story never feels contrived is boundlessly energetic. It is realistic, it is beautiful. All in all, “C.R.A.Z.Y.” is one of the best films I have seen this year.

JJ-99202 wrote on 07/29/2007:

im not that big into subtitles but there are some that are really good this is one of them. the family setting through the childhood till the end of why its called C.R.A.Z.Y is pretty good. soundtrack is good 2 im 24 and enjoy what was played through the film. i would recomend it and will watch it again. 3 stars.

peterp88 wrote on 04/06/2007:

The movie was on satellite in the middle of the night. I recorded it and just finished watching it. I did erase it as it was not worth saving. I am not sorry that I viewed it. Marc-Andre Grodin did a fine job of coming to grips with his orientation. His body is great, but, I wished we could have seen more of it. The closest we got to see male on male kiss was shotguning. The closing credits surely did explain the title. We never did see who his lover is.

vladittude0583 wrote on 03/17/2007:

I personally believe this title deserves all the praise it has gotten due to its strong portrayal of what hardships are faced when one realizes their true "sexuality," yet, have to subdue such realizations because of the hysteria associated with such and to what some condiser as sinful. The lead actors playing the father and the adult Zac definitely act-out their character roles perfectly which makes the movie more enticing to watch. I have read some reviews here complaning with the lack of "sexuality" in terms of crushes or perhaps even sex, but just because its a coming-of-age and/or gay-themed film, does not necessarily imply to use of "sex" throughout the course of the film. People have to realize that there is the emotional and relationship aspect to one's sexuality in relation to their family members and how to cope with such. Anyways, I am mainly here just to give my insight which is that this film I would highly recommend as I consider it one of my favorite films of all time now along with one of my favorite gay-themed / coming-of-age films!!!!

Indie Lover (rcardenas@stmarytx.edu) wrote on 03/16/2007:

I laughed after reading some of the negative user reviews. Obviously there wasn't enough boy-on-boy love for them and that to them is disappointing. I loved this film. It really spent time giving dimensions to the main characters (Zac, Mom, and Dad) while keeping the rest of the characters interesting. I love that is portrayed coming out as a painful process of hits and misses. This film gives true dimension to the gay character by not making him just boy crazy but by making him interesting, three dimensional, with other interests, desires, and feelings beyond his sexuality. Most gay films have their gay characters fully defined by their sexuality alone and it gets tiresome. The acting was terrific and the story, while long, was well conceived.