C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Jean-Marc Vallée

Writers:

François Boulay (writer)
Jean-Marc Vallée (writer)

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Growing up in this family, you'd have to be... C.R.A.Z.Y.

Plot:

C.R.A.Z.Y. Extraordinary lives of ordinary people in search of love and happiness - that's the premise of "C.R.A.Z.Y", a family drama unlike any other.

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Oral Sex | Mass | Teen | Gay Interest

Awards:

37 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Michel Côté	...	Gervais Beaulieu
Marc-André Grondin	...	Zachary Beaulieu 15 à 21 ans
Danielle Proulx	...	Laurianne Beaulieu
Émile Vallée	...	Zachary Beaulieu 6 à 8 ans
Pierre-Luc Brillant	...	Raymond Beaulieu 22 à 28 ans
Maxime Tremblay	...	Christian Beaulieu 24 à 30 ans
Alex Gravel	...	Antoine Beaulieu 21 à 27 ans
Natasha Thompson	...	Michelle 15 à 22 ans
Johanne Lebrun	...	Doris
Mariloup Wolfe	...	Brigitte 15 à 20 ans
Francis Ducharme	...	Paul
Hélène Grégoire	...	Madame Chose
Michel Laperrière	...	Psychothérapeute
Jean-Louis Roux	...	Prêtre
Mohamed Majd	...	Bédouin
Claude Gagnon	...	Narrateur
Jean-Alexandre Létourneau	...	Christian Beaulieu 15 à 17 ans
Sébastien Blouin	...	Antoine Beaulieu 12 à 14 ans
Félix-Antoine Despatie	...	Yvan Beaulieu 13 à 16 ans
Gabriel Lalancette	...	Yvan Beaulieu 8 à 9 ans
Denis Trudel	...	Oncle Georges
Paule Ducharme	...	Tante Diane
Aline Hooper	...	Grand-mère Angèle
Isabelle Page	...	Tante Monique
Christian Vezina	...	Oncle Lucien
Anik Vermette	...	Corinne
Marie-Yong Godbout-Turgeon	...	Min
Aziz Attab	...	Vendeur kiosque de cartes postales
Philippe Muller	...	Jeune étranger
Jérôme Aubin	...	Jérôme
Jean-Marc Vallée	...	Jeune prêtre
Marie-Michelle Duchesne	...	Michelle 6 à 8 ans
Alexandre Ayotte	...	Thomas
Mathieu Pelletier	...	Étudiant costaud
Élizabeth Adam	...	Brigitte 6 ans
Emmanuel Raymond	...	Raymond Beaulieu 7 ans
Charles-Édouard Tanguay	...	Chistian Beaulieu 9 ans
Émile Gagnon-Girard	...	Antoine Beaulieu 6 ans
Olivier Benard	...	Bébé Zachary naissant
David Vaillant	...	Bébé Yvan 7 mois à 1 an
Hugo Vaillant	...	Bébé Yvan 7 mois à 1 an
Alexandre Marchand	...	Bébé Yvan 3 mois
Nikita Jaksi	...	Bébé Yvan naissant
Yves Perreault	...	DJ
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jonathan Collins	...	Emilio
Antoine Côté-Potvin	...	Raymond Beaulieu 13 à 15 ans

Directed by
Jean-Marc Vallée

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
François Boulay		writer
Jean-Marc Vallée		writer

Produced by
Jacques Blain	....	executive producer
Pierre Even	....	producer
Nicole Hilaréguy	....	line producer
Richard Speer	....	executive producer
Jean-Marc Vallée	....	co-producer

Original Music by
David Bowie

Cinematography by
Pierre Mignot		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Paul Jutras

Casting by
Daniel Poisson

Production Design by
Patrice Vermette		(as Patrice Bricault-Vermette)

Art Direction by
Patrice Vermette

Costume Design by
Ginette Magny

Makeup Department
Réjean Goderre	....	key hair stylist
C.J. Goldman	....	special makeup effects artist
Kathy Kelso	....	makeup artist: extras
Christine Larocque	....	wig maker
Adrien Morot	....	key special makeup effects artist
Micheline Trépanier	....	makeup department head
Nathalie Trépanier	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Zoubir Belgsir	....	unit manager
Laurent Communaux	....	unit manager
Danny Turgeon	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Noureddine Aberdine	....	first assistant director
Emilie Malo	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Natacha Antiglio	....	coordinator
John-Michael Bellamy	....	props
Charles-André Bertrand	....	property master
Martin Chalifoux	....	construction manager
Louis Frederic Denomme	....	set dresser
Martin Handfield	....	on-set property master
Jose Holder	....	storyboard artist
Amélie Leonard	....	assistant to set designer (as Amélie Léonard)
Alain Perron	....	assistant art director
Alain Rouiller	....	set dresser
Mélanie Truchon	....	scenic painter
Halima Zniber	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Yvon Benoît	....	sound mixer
Daniel Bisson	....	sound recordist
Luc Boudrias	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anton Fishlin	....	sound editor
Bernard Gariépy Strobl	....	sound re-recording mixer
Hans Laitres	....	sound re-recording mix assistant
Patrick Lalonde	....	assistant sound mixer
Patrick Lalonde	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Jacques-Alexandre Levesque	....	foley artist assistant
Mira Mailhot	....	sound editor
Simon Meilleur	....	foley artist
Mireille Morin	....	sound editor
Martin Pinsonnault	....	supervising sound editor
Jean-François Sauvé	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Normand Gobeille	....	special effects technician
Guillaume Murray	....	special effects supervisor
Martin Williams	....	special effects rigger

Visual Effects by
Nicolas Cadorette	....	compositor
Marc Cote	....	visual effects director (as Marc Cõté)
Daniel Coupal	....	compositor
Thai Son Doan	....	compositor
Gunnar Hansen	....	visual effects consultant
Isabelle Langlois	....	digital compositor
Isabelle Riva	....	production consultant
Sylvain Theroux	....	lead digital artist
Jean Phillipe Traore	....	Flame artist
Kim Yong-Kyun	....	lead technical director
Kim Yong-Kyun	....	senior compositor

Stunts
Philippe Roberge	....	stunt rigger

Camera and Electrical Department
Geoffroy Beauchemin	....	underwater camera operator
Michel Bernier	....	focus puller
Jean-François Dasylva-LaRue	....	grip
Andre-Pierre Lampron	....	electrician
Denis-Noel Mostert	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Yanka Pelletier	....	grip
Sébastien Raymond	....	still photographer
David Reinhard	....	first assistant camera: underwater scenes
Geoffroy St-Hilaire	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Francois Tousignant	....	loader

Casting Department
Mustapha Grumij	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anne-Marie Aird	....	costume design assistant
Julie Amyot	....	dresser

Editorial Department
Marie-Hélène Bourget	....	assistant on-line editor
Simon Broderick	....	telecine colorist
Geneviève Hébert	....	director of post-production
Sylvain Lebel	....	additional editor
Arthur Montreuil	....	color timer

Other crew
Guy Aumond	....	production accountant
Annemarie Berthiaume	....	production assistant
Brigitte Chabot	....	unit publicist
Danielle Dussault	....	location manager
Jeannette Garcia	....	assistant to producer
Charlene Hodge	....	accounting assistant

Thanks
Chantal Cacheux	....	thanks
Sylvain Guy	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Cirrus Communications
• Crazy Films

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Océan Films (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Quality Films (2006) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Soda Pictures (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• TVA Films (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2006) (Norway) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Bir Film (2006) (Turkey) (all media)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (retail)
• EuroVideo (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (rental)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (all media)
• Genius Products (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Lighthouse Pictures (2006) (Singapore) (all media)
• Orlando Films (2005) (Israel) (all media)
• Red Envelope Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• TF1 Vidéo (2006) (France) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Fake Pictures (visual and digital finishing)
• Fake Studio (visual effects, post-production)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Concept & Creation Mordicus  construction
• Kodak Canada  film stock
• Locations Michel Trudel  camera equipment provided by

Also Known As:

C.R.A.Z.Y. (UK) (USA)
Crazy (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

Canada:127 min (Québec) | Argentina:127 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Ireland:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:M18 | Germany:12 | Hungary:14 | Finland:K-11 | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Sweden:11 | Australia:MA | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Canada:13+ (Québec)

Filming Locations:

Essaouira, Morocco

Company:

Cirrus Communications

Trivia:

The music rights cost CND$600 000.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: It's 1975 and Zach's cousin is sporting the popular Farrah Fawcett hairdo that EVERYONE tried to wear back then. Problem is, Charlie's Angels hadn't yet debuted until a year later. Same thing with the Saturday Night Fever-influenced disco three-piece suit. That was made famous everywhere by the film, but in this film the influence is seen before the movie even came out.

Quotes:

Zachary Beaulieu 15 à 21 ans: You seem to be sniffing a lot for someone in detox.
Raymond Beaulieu: Socking cock's made you a prick.
Zachary Beaulieu 15 à 21 ans: [reminding Raymond his journey in jail] Your ass must've been raw after prison.
Raymond Beaulieu: You would have enjoyed that, huh?

Soundtrack:

Brother Louie

I'm In Love With C.R.A.Z.Y.!

I wasn't really sure what to expect of this film, because the majority of what I'd read concerned the distribution issues in the US relating to its soundtrack full of copyrighted songs. I now see why the filmmakers can't remove those songs, and I also see why so many people are desperate to see it released, because everyone deserves to see this film.

It's all about a devout Christian husband and wife in Quebec who have five sons: Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary (j'adore!) and Yvan. They're like a male French Canadian version of the Spice Girls: as Zachary relates to us early in the film, we have Brainy (Christian); Druggy (Raymond); Sporty (Antoine); Fairy (Zachary); and Fatty (Yvan). The story begins with the birth of Zachary in the early 1960s, the fourth child. He's born on Christmas Day, and is seen to have been given a gift from God; the power to heal. As we'll see, he's certainly destined to be different. His behaviour (dressing up in his mother's clothes, wetting the bed, taking care of his baby brother) gets him labelled a fag by his older brothers, the kids at school, and even his dad.

We watch the boys grow up over the course of three decades. Before Z becomes something of an alien in the family, he is the child most favoured by his parents. His mother, already aware of his gift, dotes on him, and his father is a hero to the young boy, with a great record collection (the entire Patsy Cline back catalogue!), cool shades, and a habit of taking Z for fries without the knowledge of his other sons. However, as we follow the boys into their teens, it's clear that Z has not been able to shake those early accusations of homosexuality. We see him at 16 in his bedroom, shirtless and with Ziggy Stardust make-up on his face, singing along passionately to 'Space Oddity'. All of a sudden, Antoine bursts into the room and punches Z in the arm, knocking him down and telling him, "stop singing along to that f%#king fag! you're making us look like a bunch of fairies!", and as the camera pans towards the bedroom window, we see a neighbourhood of children clapping and jeering at Z's spirited performance. They had been watching the whole thing.

Z gets a reputation at school for being queer, and this leads him to rebel, threatening those who call him names, and beating the tar out of a boy who shows some interest in him (and who later involuntarily leads to a major falling out between Z and his father, ending up with Z in therapy so that he can be "cured").

Z's occasional narration at one point stresses that two subjects have become taboo in the family by the time he turns 21; himself and Raymond. R makes a fascinating counterpoint with Z in terms of the relationship to their father. In an early scene, several girls come knocking for Raymond, and his dad proudly exclaims, "our son is a Casanova!" This pride in his son's macho accomplishments causes him to overlook R's drug habit until the consequences become almost disastrous for the family. Even then, he deludes himself, believing that R is clean, trying to get his life back in order, and constantly lends him money, despite things continuing to go from bad to worse.

On the other hand, Z's sensitivity is not accepted with nearly the same degree of pride as R's sexual precociousness; in fact, it isn't accepted at all. Any accomplishment Z makes is belittled by his father, and when Z's divine gift is confirmed by a local mystic, his father is extremely skeptical. Things in their relationship improve when Z finds a girlfriend. However, Z's behaviour deteriorates to the point where he risks becoming like his older brother. His sexual confusion becomes so extreme that it almost results in his death several times, while even a small degree of acceptance from his father may have been enough to resolve any guilt over his true sexuality, and allow mom and dad to concentrate their concern on the *real* problem child -- Raymond.

While the theme of self-discovery and personal growth gives the film an extremely strong emotional core, with a cast of thoroughly sympathetic, complete characters (and it seems like an insult to refer to them as just "characters" -- they are living, breathing people, as far as I'm concerned), there is much entertainment to be had in the changing fashions, developing attitudes and shifting cultural focus of the film. Watching the gorgeous Marc-André Grondin (Zachary) going from tight jeans and roller skates to sullen spikes and eyeliner to bronzed globetrotter was a personal highlight! The soundtrack is also an essential component of the film, reflecting Z's flowering love of popular music, from his days spent in the passenger seat of his dad's car, listening to Patsy Cline, to imagining a Midnight Mass erupting in a chorus of 'Sympathy for the Devil' by The Stones, getting high to Pink Floyd and downing liquor at the bar of an exotic gay club to early House; it's the soundtrack to a life spent in search of himself, and because of the power of pop music, we feel like we were there for every tear shed, every punch thrown, every cigarette smoked and every longing stare left to linger.

By the end of the film, I was nearly in tears. I'd been through an emotional roller-coaster of a film with characters I'd grown to love, and while the heart-stopping ending might have been responsible for my emotional response, the tears in my eyes were there because, really, I didn't want such a beautiful movie to end.