Crazy/Beautiful (2001)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Nice effects though.

How sad is this?

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Opposites attract in this love story for the younger set in this movie,Crazy/Beautiful. This romantic drama stars Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. It is largely set at Palisades Charter High School and the surrounding area, including Downtown Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Malibu and East Los Angeles. The Romeo and Juliet story has been modernized to a high school setting previously, but this romance from director John Stockwell turns the tale inside out.The story follows a familiar pattern wherein the two young lovers come from different worlds, and no one else understands them but has a few intelligent wrinkles to the standard star-crossed plot. Carlos is a straight-laced poor boy working his way toward a better life. Thus,he is an A-student with big dreams who endures a two-hour bus ride every morning to attend high school in an upscale L.A. neighborhood.Nicole is a rich girl with a wild streak who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Can it be that they're meant for each other? Yes, of course it can.Fate steps in and brings together two high school seniors from opposite sides of the track in this sexy, fun, and energetic story of first love. Their innocent flirtations quickly develop into passionate love.When his friends, family, and even Nicole's own father oppose the romance for Carlos' sake, he chooses to ignore their advice and stubbornly pursues his relationship with Nicole, whose feelings grow from simple physical attraction to something much deeper. But Nicole's self-destructive behavior threatens their relationship and puts Carlos' promising future in jeopardy. As teen love stories go, you could do far worse. Adults may be left cold by Crazy/Beautiful, but teens especially those with a dramatic streak will enjoy this well-intentioned romance. The story is not new, but the film gets credit for trying to move away from the genre's clichés. Also,Kirsten Dunst and newcomer Jay Hernandez give believable performances as young lovers.Added to that,the dramatic moments come from dialogue not actions, and much of the time viewers are left on their own to fill in the words that remain unspoken.And finally,the movie's message of tolerance comes across without being preachy.

Crazy/Beautiful, originally inspired by Lauren Greenfeld photos 'Fast Forward'. A 'crazy' Malibu daughter of a wealthy congressman and a 'beautiful' first generation Mexican son of a hard-working Mexican-American family: 'Crazy/Beautiful are these two 17-years-students at a high school in Pacific Palisades. Nicole: wild, a drinker, sexually bold, reckless. Without much makeup on her face she gives the impression of being naked and 'ugly'. Without a future as everything has been thrown over board: every possible rule she did not care. Everything lost and the only option the 'nicoledecision' "so what!". But: "I wish I wasn't the child that everybody learned what not to do from." The grade A student Carlos with big dreams for a better barriofuture endures a two-hour bus ride every morning to school. The beautiful Carlos and the crazy Nicole are ready for the mistakes of their first love. Nicole and everybody know: in her sphere are all doomed. Her father warns Carlos: "For your own good, for my piece of mind. Stay away from my daughter. You know, it's a painful thing for a father. I can't help you alone". The fatherless Carlos vs the motherless Nicole. Nicole is the first of them to realize: "I think I'm in love with you, sorry." And later: "There are millions of people in this world, but in the end it all comes down to one. I still panic sometimes, forget to breathe, but I know that there's something beautiful in my imperfections; the beauty that he held up for me to see. The strength that I will never be able to say." And assuring him: "I want to be good for you." But Carlos, son of a poor barrio family, family helped to be something better, has a lot to loose. This the reason why he listens as the fatherless son he is to the congressman's warning. And Nicole knows: "What did he tell you, Stay away from me, the lost cause?" "I just..." answers Carlos. But! Both are beyond the point-of-no-return, following Hollywoods twists and turns. After their split: The worried Carlos fetches her from that wild party. Both are caught in a police control and Nicole delivered at her home. (Stepmom Courtney: "What kind of daughter are you?" Nicole: "Not yours." Courtney: "Thank god for that.") At school the day after she collects her belongings. Carlos sees her with a man. Not her father but an official to escort her to Utah. And Carlos reacts, despite midterm exams, realizing 'his' 17-years-first-love. Their run-away, their talk at the motel and her return home. The schmaltzy ending. The soft kindness of the good-enough-father is unable to set the rule when needed. Nothing else but a fathers obligation. A none-father and a none-husband when needed, the reason that he lost his daughter, the reason for his wives suicide? Instead an institution as step-in-father with official escort: "Why do you hate me so much? How could you tell the only person in the world that I love, that I care about so much, how could you tell him to stay away from me? Do you think that the only thing I'll ever do to someone is screw them up? That I'm not worth loving?" At Carlos sisters birthday party Nicole sees that she is far more poor than the birthday celebrating poor barrio family: "You can be anywhere where when your life begins. You meet the right person and anything is possible." Here, beyond everything: ready for the real. What Crazy/beautiful teaches (eavesdropping) is that the nicolestyle is the only option but not easy. To come to this kind of point-of-no-return and be there as unwanted outcast waiting - waiting for one of the millions. The movie wanted more, but had in mind the PG-13 rating, limited to those over 17. The movie lets us see people and not look at case studies.

Crazy/Beautiful is a poignant teen film about a rich girl in Kirsten Dunst who's a behavioral problem to her father Bruce Davison and stepmother Lucinda Janney. When East LA Barrio kid Carlos Hernandez first meets her, she's doing community service picking up trash on the beach. They discover they go to the same school.Hernandez is her total opposite. He's doing a two hour commute to her 90210 type high school he can reap the advantages thereof. He's a hardworking student and top football player and he wants to go to Annapolis. Oh by the way, when Hernandez meets Davison, she's forgotten to tell him that daddy is a Congressman.Davison is a liberal sort so the racial thing doesn't terribly bother him. But he thinks Hernandez will screw himself up if he gets involved with Dunst. God knows she's doing a wonderful job of that in her family relationships.This was to be a big breakout role for Hernandez who was fresh from the TNBC morning show Hang Time. If he hasn't had quite the career a lot including myself expected of him, not the fault of this film because he and Dunst are a very attractive couple. Crazy/Beautiful is a sensitive and caring drama, a good film for the younger audience.

Kudos to the two leads! Kristin Dunst plays an ambitionless, drug- and drink ridden rich white girl, Nicole Oakley, and Jay Hernandez plays Carlos Nunez, a poor boy, Mexican, who is the opposite of Nicole.Yet the two "fall in love" and the film explores attraction amidst different cultures, values and personalities. The acting throughout is natural, the script is perceptive, and the film manages to avoid the stupid excesses and crass laughs of many "teenage" films.It's a film that makes no demands on the viewer, is watchable and "sweet". Certainly not to be avoided! There are some good moments, and (despite a predictable end). The music is good, and the film keeps one watching, translating well to TV.