Continued ...
3 July 2001

crazy/beautiful:  I really wanted to see this film a second time before reviewing it for the site.  There was something intense and memorable about the film, even as I ticked off little flaws here and there.  Writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi took a kind of hackneyed idea and made it, along with director John Stockwell, into something really odd and unpredictable… much like Kirsten Dunst’s character.  Ironically, I had a similar reaction to a movie that John Stockwell co-starred in, Christine, which twisted the horror genre with a lead who seemed to be having a sexualized relationship with his car. 

Kirsten Dunst’s Nicole Oakley is a dangerously wild child.  When we first meet her, she is collecting garbage under Santa Monica peer and a group of four Hispanic boys hitting on her doesn’t seem to intimidate her in the least.  Turns out that she is a poor little rich girl… the tougher, blonde version of Ali MacGraw.  Jay Hernandez’ Carlos Nunez spends hours on the bus each day, escaping east Los Angeles by being bused to Pacific Palisades’ moneyed school district.  And he’s almost made it through, ready to take advantage of years of hard work and familial support.  Completely believable. 

And then, temptation arrives.  She brings a lost recklessness into his life.  He brings sanity and the chance of something real.  And hell, they look great together. 

There’s no point in expounding on the minutia of the plot.  It’s not a great plot movie.  It’s a movie that breathes real life, both crazy and beautiful.  Even in it’s slightly sanitized version, the edge on this film is about as rough and likely to cut as any teen film I’ve seen in a long time.  I’ll be looking forward to whatever comes next from Stockwell and from the young writers, who are apparently working on their own 20something ensemble movie called Bugs. 

The Crimson Rivers:  If this movie were a beer, it’d be “Less Filling, Looks Great.”  I’ve read a lot of nasty reviews of this one from a lot of varied critics… and it’s pretty well deserved.  The problem was exposed after the screening I saw, when a French journalist explained what had actually happened in the amazingly unclear and convoluted screen story.   You see, the film is based on a book that was massively popular on the continent.  And so, many of the things that they didn’t bother to explain in the film was clear to European audiences… who attended the movie in droves. 

So… avoid the movie at all costs… at least until you read the book.

READER OF THE DAY:  Not Stella writes:  “I've got a lot of venting to do about "crazy/beautiful," so I hope you'll bare with me.  I went to it over the weekend because I've got a huge school boy crush on Kirsten Dunst and it looked like it wasn't going to be yet another lame teen romance movie.  For the record, I hate most teen movies.  They make me angry.  They are unrealistic and star people in their late 20's and I really loathe them.  "crazy/beautiful" is so close to being a great movie, and it was frustrating to watch how close it came.  I think the acting is extraordinary, especially from the two leads.  Dunst is completely convincing.  She really looks the part and gives her all in the role. Jay Hernandez is charming and intelligent and does a remarkable job. Plus I bought the romance.  I really cared about them and their fate as I watched. 

I'll be the first to admit that it's not a great movie.  It slips into formula more than once, has some forced scenes that didn't work and the ending is way too pat and upbeat.  That said, it gets points for effort alone.  It really tries to be realistic and character-driven.  It doesn't sugarcoat everything.  I think it's a good film.  But it could have been so much more, and that's what really pisses me off.  I blame it on Disney and their lack of courage.  This movie should have been rated-R, and not for sex or nudity.  It should have gone the distance in showing Nicole and her life.  All of the drugs and booze.  If ever a movie about teens should have been R, it's this one.  Nicole's life is rated-R, and this movie should have been rated-R.  Look at the first weekend box office.  Being PG-13 hurt this movie.  I guarantee it would have made more money as an R movie.  And it would have been a better movie.  Shame on Disney.  I hope they learn a lesson, but I'm sure they won't.”

E ME:  Bring it on!