C.R.A.Z.Y. began with promise and a brilliant introduction surrounding a young boy Zac in 1960's Canada dropped on his head as a baby; the "gift" the resulted from his miracle survival; and the birthday parties which would become the landmarks of the film. Through his mother's deification, the family thought he had the power to heal; he thought he was just a freak. If Zac truly was as special as his mom claimed, he could pray the gay would go away.
Zac (played by Michel Cote in his budding teen years) tried desperately as the years progressed to earn the affection of his father despite being the most "different" and most gentle of five boys. He continually resisted his "gift" and his feelings for other boys--which he knew would devastate his father. So far, so moviegoer good.
Countless birthday scenes later, C.R.A.Z.Y. fell deep into the black hole of coming of age movie making--having so much to tell, yet so little to tell. The cliched characters and repetitive sibling fight scenes plagued what quickly became a mundane tale. we were left to wonder exactly how many sibling fights we were going to have to witness before some sort of resolution would occur. And by the way, was he ever going to come out (or at least use his healing gift)?
Zac (played by Michel Cote in his budding teen years) tried desperately as the years progressed to earn the affection of his father despite being the most "different" and most gentle of five boys. He continually resisted his "gift" and his feelings for other boys--which he knew would devastate his father. So far, so moviegoer good.
Countless birthday scenes later, C.R.A.Z.Y. fell deep into the black hole of coming of age movie making--having so much to tell, yet so little to tell. The cliched characters and repetitive sibling fight scenes plagued what quickly became a mundane tale. we were left to wonder exactly how many sibling fights we were going to have to witness before some sort of resolution would occur. And by the way, was he ever going to come out (or at least use his healing gift)?
The film wasn't void of drama; just not enough to captivate an audience for an epic-long 2 hours, which is a shame given the outstanding cast, brilliant acting, costumes and direction by Jean-Marc Vallee.
After an hour and a half invested, it was apparent C.R.A.Z.Y. was just another memoir, not a gay coming of age classic. Anticipated plot-saving twists were just never delivered. What separates classics from dust collectors is, ironically, the craziness that ensues before and after coming out: An angry inch; a first boyfriend 20 years older; the secret seduction of the lawn boy, etc. Disappointingly, C.R.A.Z.Y. had this quirky potential in the beginning, then later begged to be more than it was on already saturated gay coming of age shelves.
After an hour and a half invested, it was apparent C.R.A.Z.Y. was just another memoir, not a gay coming of age classic. Anticipated plot-saving twists were just never delivered. What separates classics from dust collectors is, ironically, the craziness that ensues before and after coming out: An angry inch; a first boyfriend 20 years older; the secret seduction of the lawn boy, etc. Disappointingly, C.R.A.Z.Y. had this quirky potential in the beginning, then later begged to be more than it was on already saturated gay coming of age shelves.
