C.R.A.Z.Y. was my favorite film of 2005, the year that Crash and Brokeback Mountain dominated the Academy Awards. C.R.A.Z.Y. never received a proper theatrical release in the U.S. and was not nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, in fact it was only when a subsidiary of Netflix picked up the title that it got a belated release on DVD. In it's native Canada however the film was a huge success, outselling big Hollywood blockbusters that year and sweeping the Genie Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars) later on.
It's most definitely a feel-good audience pleaser despite some darker moments and I have a hard time imagining anyone not liking it. The story concerns a French Canadian/Catholic family living in the Quebec suburbs in the 1970's and centers primarily on one of the son's, Zachary. His coming to terms with being gay is the plot thread that runs through the film but it also covers many years and many characters through the years, Christmas, weddings, births, deaths. The title of the film comes from the first initials of the family's 5 brothers as well as the Patsy Cline tune Crazy that the father is obsessed with. With Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane and David Bowie it's amazing that the films soundtrack never got a separate release. It's terrific.
I will note a technical oddity I experienced with this Canadian import disc. Two blu-ray players were unable to access the French subtitles but then they worked fine when played on a PS3. Don't know how to explain it but just a heads up. Needless to say, the regular DVD's look muddy compared to the sharpness of this blu-ray HD transfer.
It's most definitely a feel-good audience pleaser despite some darker moments and I have a hard time imagining anyone not liking it. The story concerns a French Canadian/Catholic family living in the Quebec suburbs in the 1970's and centers primarily on one of the son's, Zachary. His coming to terms with being gay is the plot thread that runs through the film but it also covers many years and many characters through the years, Christmas, weddings, births, deaths. The title of the film comes from the first initials of the family's 5 brothers as well as the Patsy Cline tune Crazy that the father is obsessed with. With Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane and David Bowie it's amazing that the films soundtrack never got a separate release. It's terrific.
I will note a technical oddity I experienced with this Canadian import disc. Two blu-ray players were unable to access the French subtitles but then they worked fine when played on a PS3. Don't know how to explain it but just a heads up. Needless to say, the regular DVD's look muddy compared to the sharpness of this blu-ray HD transfer.