Starring: Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, Bill Nighy Directed By: Brian Gibson Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC Label: Sony Pictures Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Pan & Scan Region Code: 1 Release Date: June 29, 1999 Running Time: 97 minutes Theatrical Release Date: January 22, 1999
Product Description: STILL CRAZY is the critically acclaimed Golden Globe® -nominated comedy which follows the hilarious exploits of a 70s rock phenomenon 'Strange Fruit' as they reunite 20 years after a nasty break-up and attempt to recapture their fame and fortune. With stand-out performances from Stephen Rea Billy Connolly Bill Nighy and Juliet Aubrey the comically bittersweet film combines the raucous energy of The Full Monty with the broad humor of This Is Spinal Tap. Directed by Brian Gibson (What's Love Got To Do With It) and featuring the music of Mick Jones (Foreigner) and Chris Difford (Squeeze).System Requirements:Running Time: 100 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 043396037458
Amazon.com: This gently satirical British comedy chronicles the quixotic reunion of a late, arguably not-so-great, and unlamented '70s rock band, Strange Fruit, with a winning mix of humor and poignancy. The "Fruits," as the survivors call themselves without irony, had disbanded after the tragic loss of one member, the mysterious disappearance of another, and the aftershocks of internal rivalries, but 20 years later they warily reassemble for a Dutch club tour, a warm-up for a proposed festival appearance. Between that seemingly hare-brained proposal and the fateful festival, director Brian Gibson, working from a sharp script by Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais, captures the absurdities of middle-aged rockers trying to recapture that lost cockiness.
Breathing life into the band is a terrific cast, including Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, and Bill Nighy, each managing to juggle deft archetype with believable character traits: Spall's cheerfully crass, flatulent drummer, and Nighy's preening, slow-witted lead singer exemplify the approach, grabbing chuckles yet making you actually care about them. Equally impressive is Billy Connolly as the wily roadie, Hughie, at once pragmatic and devoted to his charges. All are well-served by production details and script points that get the group's lost world of late '60s and early '70s rock exactly right, from costuming and stage moves to the long-forgotten bands they name-check--Blodwyn Pig, anybody?
The band's music likewise benefits from inspired insiders, cowriters Mick Jones (Spooky Tooth, Foreigner) and Chris Difford (Squeeze), who hit a nifty combination of bombast (for the silly scenes) and earnestness. When Gibson and his cast risk the story's amiable glow on a darker, more dramatic final act, the music rises to the challenge, and the whole project, like its fictional subject, achieves an unexpectedly touching victory. --Sam Sutherland
Turning back the clock For all those of us who have always wondered, what if I could go back and redo or finish something that I started so long ago, and would my life, or that of those around me be any better or worse, this film is for you. The cast are incredible, the story line is certainly fictional, but nonetheless appealing to all of us. The characters are rich and full, and any of us, could no doubt substitute for any one of them. The term "cult film", although somewhat negative in its conotations, may surely apply here, as it may not appeal to everyone, given that it is a definitive "British" film, but given a chance, the viewer will certainly enjoy the various goings on. Hilariously funny, and yet completely touching, I highly recommend this movie.
Full Screen 1.85:1 Aspect ratio says 1.85:1 so I foolishly figured it was Widescreen. It's not, it's Full Screen with the wrong aspect ratio listed. Amazon offered to fix it, but too much trouble for a $10 DVD. I guess I can't rely on aspect ratios anymore.
Still Crazy I was very surprised to get the DVD as soon as I did. It came in earlier than expected. I wasn't sure what kind of condition the movie would be in. I was very happy when I played the DVD. I had my doubts. But now I have more confidence in purchasing movies from Amazon. I will be back for more! Thanks.
Never Too Old To Rock And Roll Boy, I love this movie. What a good flick. It's hard to believe it's about ten years old now. It's about a 70s rock band that reunites 20 years later for a tour and a chance to make it big again. Unfortunately, the demons of the past haven't gone away. The problems and rivalries that led to the band's breakup are still there, but this is their second chance not only for their career but to right the wrongs as well. Not only is this movie very funny, but it's quite touching as well. It's less about the rock and roll lifestyle and more about getting older. You end up really caring about these characters. You want to see them work out their grudges and you want to see them succeed. Everybody here does a fine job, but it's Bill Nighy that really steals the show. He plays the vocalist who never thought he was ever accepted by the band, and has turned in a life of sex and drinking for a wife, AA meeting, spirituality and Evian. He's a stuttering goofball that still seems to be stuck in rock star mode. Kinda like Ozzy Osbourne only intelligent and likable. This was before Nighy was very well known, so he's buried way down in the credits, but he comes across as more of the star of the film than Stephen Rea or Billy Connolly. Sure the movie may not be for everyone. It does get a bit sappy and heavy on the emotion at the end, but it works. Very, very highly recommended.
So fun, So full of heart -- the Flame Still Burns! I loved this movie! One of only a dozen or so I have had to own. There's so much about what we lose as we grow older, and even more about what we still have -- friends, experience, talent, and a kind of grown-up bull-headedness that can substitute for youthful exhuberance. This is a movie that rewards close watching, or you'll miss the hundreds of lovely small bits that form its big-hearted, hilarious tapestry.
I could babble on and on, but don't miss Niall and Connolly as the bleeding black-comedy heart of this film. And the ending, when we finally find out who this guy Brian is, and why so many people were wiling to set their lives on fire for him, is stunning and revelatory, both about the characters, and about us. Damn, what an amazing movie!
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