| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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Crazy Something or Other
by Bruce (movies profile)
Sep 15, 2007
This movie tells the crazy story of a nebbishy lawyer who becomes obsessed with a pretty Bronx girl. He courts her, is rejected by her, throws lye in her face, goes to jail, and then marries her. Giving away that much of the plot shouldn’t hurt anyone’s movie-going experience. If it did I am sorry. But the point of the movie is not what these people did, but what was behind it. “What kind of person throws lye in a twenty-year-old girl’s face?†is an interesting question. “What kind of girl marries a man who blinds her by throwing lye in her face?†is even more interesting.
I don’t know if the movie really answers those questions, but it certainly gives us enough raw material to come to our own conclusions. I have my theories, and I hope you develop your own. But even if it doesn’t solve those riddles, it offers some very interesting character studies.
A nice bonus from this movie are the friends and family who are interveiwed. The women have turned into really bizarre-looking creatures as they aged. Their skin, their chins, their noses, the bags under their eyes have evolved into the strangest shapes. One is creased, leathery, tan, turquoise-eye-shadowed, and blond. One looks like a saggy old toad. A bulbous nose, flabby turkey neck is framed with beauty-parlor-set hair. They are grotesque, comic, and just plain characters—especially when we get to see what they looked like 50 years ago. This was a good warning to me about aging gracefully. The men just got saggy and grey and fat and bald. Not so interesting to look at.
Three other points:
1. The use of the n-word is striking
2. I didn’t like the music. I think it was supposed to be evocative, but it was distracting, even intrusive, and heavy-handed. “Burning Love†plays as the credits role. Get it? Burning love?
3. And please, for the love of God, someone tell Jimmy Breslin about nose hair trimmers. There is no excuse.
P.S. I know it wasn't "acting" but there's no "n/a" for that rating.
P.P.S. No matter how many times I proofread, I always make at least one typo. It just happens. Please forgive me. |
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