Crazy from the Heart

I saw Crazy from the Heart when it came out, so this was rerun time nine years later. And the movie was better the second time around!! Christine Lahti cannot make a bad film; I think she's one of the most underrated actresses of our time (though she does have an Academy Award nomination). What makes "Crazy" sing is the performance by Ruben Blades (and doing love scenes with the director's wife had to be a daunting task) and the unique, small-town setting and approach. This story gently touched on the racism so common in our society, but it did so in an educational and positive way instead of the in-your-face style that gets so old. This movie took you to Tidelands, took you back to high school, took you into middle age, made you think and feel, presented real people in a very real story and made it fun. If the industry put more of this in the theater, more us of plus-40s would go more than once a year.

Many IMDB users rated this movie 10 out of 10, and I can see why. The two main actors do a super job and there is a fine script. Well OK, look, this is no Academy Award winner, and it is a 'made-for-TV' film. However it is still worth renting it on video or catching it on TV. Just sit back and ENJOY the light-hearted romance. My wife and I laughed and cheered along with the events on screen that unfold in the small Texan town. I suppose if it were analyzed by a New York or Chicago film critic it would be torn to bits, especially due to the many cliches portrayed. I don't care. It is a great film and we both thoroughly liked it. Right from the very first minute we knew that we chose a good video. BTW, the Hispanic grandfather is wonderful - you cannot help loving this guy. Have fun watching this one!

This movie was wonderful. I have watched it over and over. The best part started the minute they drove into Mexico and that music started. My husband assured me that you don't REALLY hear music the minute you arrive in Mexico, but it worked for me!! A+++ I fell in love with Ruben Blades, and Christine Lahti is always graceful, beautiful and a lady. (Loved her in Swingshift) I enjoyed how she finally realized what is important in a relationship. She really told off the school board! When he talked to her in the back of the truck with all the candles lit was so romantic, he could have talked me into marrying him too! All and all this was an amazing movie. I can believe it was a made-for-TV movie!

This simple little film may have been made for TV, but I continue to be amazed by the quality of the cast even though I've watched it a dozen times.

I was especially amazed when I realized the irony of casting decisions...especially with Belita Moreno (Robie Stiles' mother). This character exudes the venomous bigotry of Tidewater -- white trash feeling superiority to Mexican-Americans for no other reason than race -- and for this role to be performed convincingly by a latina is extraordinary. A quick comparison between Bebe Stiles and Benny Lopez (George's mother on the George Lopez show) shows an incredible range. This was also the first film in which I saw Brent Spiner and forgot just for a moment that he might be an android.

I love this movie...have rented it numerous times on VHS and have watched it over and over when it has appeared on TV. Please, please, please release it on DVD. It is one of those feel good movies with great acting that is so hard to find...one you can sit back and enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It seems, after visiting this site, that there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way I do. Memorable roles for Blades and Lahti and the actor who portrayed his father...I just loved him. If Thomas Schlamme or Christine Lahti visit this site perhaps you can have some influence over the powers that be to release this movie, on DVD. Who knows, you may find a whole new generation of fans of "Crazy From the Heart".