C.R.A.Z.Y. (2022)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

One of my all time favorites.

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely the worst movie.

Growing up in the 1970s in a devout Catholic household, a teenager wrestles with his sexuality in this French Canadian film that placed director Jean-Marc Vallée of 'Wild' fame on the map. The film gets off to a very good start, starting on the protagonist as a young boy with a lot of quirky comedy and some magic realism as he discovers he has gift for calming his baby brother, as he is told by a Tupperware lady that he has special healing powers and as he prays to not be a "fairy" while loving toys that girls tend to like. Wide-eyed Émile Vallée (the director's own son) is also solid in this brief turn. And it is brief because the majority of the film focuses on his teen and tween years, which are invariably less magical. Points of interest include a crush on a female cousin, the intimacy he also enjoys from smoking with other boys and his father's insistence in 'curing' any homosexuality. These issues tend to get repeated again and again though and soon lose their freshness. The quirky comedy of the initial section is mostly absent too. There are some nifty scenes in which he goes on an impromptu pilgrimage, but ultimately the film feels longer than it is. Marc- André Grondin as the teen/tween protagonist is certainly quite good; so is Michel Côté as his father throughout. In short, the film is watchable until the end, even if the first section seems far more powerful than what follows.

Zac Beaulieu is born the fourth son of Gervais on Christmas 1960. Their relationship starts with Gervais dropping his son. At 7, he's the only one able to quiet colic newborn Yvan. Gervais catches Zac in his wife's dress and fears Zac becoming unmasculine. The Tupperware Lady tells Zac's religious mother Laurianne that he's blessed by God. He's Laurianne's favorite. She considers him the seventh son after three miscarriages. That along with his Christmas birth assures her of his gift. It's Christmas 1975. The eldest son Christian is a bookworm, the second Raymond is a biker, the third Antoine is a jock, and Zac is an atheist while developing his homosexual feelings.I really love the first thirty minutes. It's got a quirky, charming vibe of the young Zac. It's funny. I love the parents' relationship and the father son struggle. Once it gets to his teenage years, he's moody and well, he's a teenager. The charm is not the same. It's different and not as much fun. I don't particularly like teen Zac. His adventures meander a bit. I would have preferred staying in his childhood years.

No hesitation on this one. This is a gem; a jewel. A magnificent piece of storytelling. I will run out of adjectives trying to convince you to load this one up and watch it. It spans a lifetime of a young gay man; the trial and tribulations of growing up in eras where homosexuality is not accepted, and how he tries to conform to fit in. But that isn't the only story here. This is the story of an entire family. Each person individual and unique, and parents who try to deal with each one of their child's personalities. This is a story drawn with such meticulous care and precision, you will be amazed. There are scenes that will stand out in your mind as prominent as with any classical movie... because they depict something extraordinary in someone's life. Compliments to everyone involved. This is a movie I will definitely watch once every year.. You should too.

C.R.A.Z.Y. was my favorite film of 2005, the year that Crash and Brokeback Mountain dominated the Academy Awards. C.R.A.Z.Y. never received a proper theatrical release in the U.S. and was not nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, in fact it was only when a subsidiary of Netflix picked up the title that it got a belated release on DVD. In it's native Canada however the film was a huge success, outselling big Hollywood blockbusters that year and sweeping the Genie Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars) later on.It's most definitely a feel-good audience pleaser despite some darker moments and I have a hard time imagining anyone not liking it. The story concerns a French Canadian/Catholic family living in the Quebec suburbs in the 1970's and centers primarily on one of the son's, Zachary. His coming to terms with being gay is the plot thread that runs through the film but it also covers many years and many characters through the years, Christmas, weddings, births, deaths. The title of the film comes from the first initials of the family's 5 brothers as well as the Patsy Cline tune Crazy that the father is obsessed with. With Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane and David Bowie it's amazing that the films soundtrack never got a separate release. It's terrific.I will note a technical oddity I experienced with this Canadian import disc. Two blu-ray players were unable to access the French subtitles but then they worked fine when played on a PS3. Don't know how to explain it but just a heads up. Needless to say, the regular DVD's look muddy compared to the sharpness of this blu-ray HD transfer.