User reviews

Still Crazy was certainly influenced by This Is Spinal Tap, and elements from that classic can be found all over the place, but the two should not be compared. You won't find the sharp satire of Spinal Tap in this movie; nor will you find the scope and heart of Almost Famous. Still Crazy is a small, sweet comedy in the vein of Brassed Off, The Commitments and The Full Monty, and it's highly recommended for anybody who enjoyed those movies and has any fondness towards the grandiose stadium rock of the 70's. Still Crazy is funny, fast-paced and heartwarming, and backed with some of the finest actors the UK has to offer, it's a fantastic piece of entertainment and one that's fun returning to over and over again. It's a bit slow in its first half, but by the ending it's irresistibly fun, thanks to the wonderful characters (every member of the band was well-developed as a believable and likable character) and the contagious soundtrack. A great, light-weight movie for fans of true rock n' roll.

What happens to washed up rock-n-roll stars in the late 1990's? They launch a comeback / reunion tour. At least, that's what the members of Strange Fruit, a (fictional) 70's stadium rock group do.

Tony (Stephen Rea) has the concession on condom vending machines when he runs into the son of the promoter of a famous music festival. It was at that festival in the 70's that Strange Fruit broke up. The 70's are "retro" and the time is right to wide that wave. He sets off in search of the other members of the band.

Part of what broke up the band was the death and replacement of Keith, the lead singer and brilliant song writer. The band was known for its excessive lifestyle and now they are all back amongst the working class from which they came. Beano, the drummer, played by Timothy Spall (who was brilliant in Secrets and Lies) is a layabout, the bass player is a roofer, and their lead singer is still a rocker. While he owns a huge mansion he has been forced to sell it, as his fortune has not lasted. Brian, the lead guitarist, is dead, so a young guitarist is hired to replace him.

Somewhat reluctantly the band agree to give the reunion a try. Abandoning their day jobs, they begin to rehearse, and their manager approaches their label about reissuing their albums. But he wants them to start touring again first. And so they hit the club circuit around Europe. The club scene is not kind to these overweight, dated, old rockers.

It is on tour that the film really starts to develop. All of the old conflicts rearise, with the figures of Keith and Brian hovering throughout. They all hang together because they are all in search of a second chance for the greatness that eluded them earlier. And they rediscover some of the interpersonal chemistry that made playing together so enjoyable.

Still Crazy starts as Spinal Tap II but gradually becomes a more dramatically focused film, following the relationships of the band members. While it is still a very funny movie, it is the evolving characters, struggling to deal with the deaths of Brian and Keith and with their own personal demons, that make the film work.

So I rented "Still Crazy" instead. When I described Hardcore Logo to the guy at the video store, he said that sounded kind of like Still Crazy. So I rented it. Was I disappointed? Well, yes, as Still Crazy focuses on a classic rock band rather than a punk band, but that's OK. Still Crazy tells the story of the Strange Fruit, a rock band that broke up in the 70s at the peak of their popularity at a large rock festival. Twenty years later, the band members are all struggling to make a living, and are offered the opportunity to play a concert at the twenty year anniversary of this festival. They take up the offer and decide to reform on a permanent basis, touring Europe in the process. Some quite funny hijinks ensue, and all the characters go through subtle changes. Watching this movie, you feel more like a viewer of a carefully edited documentary than a participant. And that's not bad at all.

Brian Gibson's Still Crazy was not a film on my list. However, one afternoon I was channel surfing on a satellite dish and came across this AMAZING film about a 1970's rock & roll band who comes back together twenty years after their disasterous final concert. For keyboard player Tony (Stephen Rea), guitar player/backup singer Les (Jimmy Nail), lead singer Ray (Bill Nighy), drummer Beano (Timothy Spall), "road dog" Hughie (Billy Connolly), and manager Karen (Juliet Aubrey), a second chance is a God send. Unfortunately, they are lacking two players, Keith, who died of a drug overdose two years before the Strange Fruit's final concert, and Brian, his brother, a stunning guitar player who was the genious and the glue of the band. Still Crazy is a fabulous mixture of British comedy, damn fine music, and superb performances, especially by Bill Nighy as the pathetically egotistical Ray Simms. Helena Bergstrom is also hilarious as Ray's over-protective wife, Astrid. Watch especially for a couple of poignant scenes between Juliet Aubrey and Bruce Robinson, who appears in a touching cameo. Out of 10 stars, I give this hilarious and sweet rock & roll resurrection film a good, solid 10!

STILL CRAZY is a film that I knew precious little about, save some of the cast members. Now having just seen it, I think it's an incredibly fun portrait of an aging rock band reliving their glory days. It follows the basic narrative trajectory that you would expect from this type of film, which is a good and a bad thing. It's good because it works with a tried-and-true formula that is entertaining, but also a little disappointing because it doesn't go out of its way to try anything new or outside-the-box. That being said, it executes the concept very well and benefits from revolving around a fictional band so that it doesn't have to be a slave to formula and history. The characters in the band (including the roadie) created by the principal actors were outstanding, and some of the best work I've seen from these people. They include Bill Nighy as the lead singer, Timothy Spall as the drummer, Stephen Rea as the keyboardist and Billy Connolly (of all people) as the roadie. They (and the other band members whose names I'm not familiar with) were all fully fleshed out and quite funny, perhaps none more so than Timothy Spall who has this great running gag which I won't spoil. They also had great chemistry on screen and made it seem like they had known each other for years. Last, but not least, the music in this film was amazing. All of it was original and I'm pretty sure that it was performed by the cast as well. The only time when the film falters, in my opinion, is the few moments in which it tries to be a little too sentimental. Again, it's par for the course when considering what genre this is, but it didn't completely work for me. Still, the finale was genuinely touching and mostly made up for the previous missteps. Overall, STILL CRAZY does suffer a bit from following the typical plot mechanics, but the performances and music are enough to highly recommend it.

When I sat myself down to watch this movie, I did not know much about what kind of movie I was about to see.

Its starting off rather slow; a rock band was cut off by lightning in the middle of a gig. They never stepped up on stage again. One day, though, twenty years later, someone starts digging up old dirt, and the band reunites.

But are the old grumps up to enlighten the world as they once did with their music?

It would not be fair to say that "Still Crazy" even nearly lives up to the qualities of "The Commitments". It does, though, sometimes pretty much, resemble the Irish music movie classic. The ending of this movie also is not much of a surprise to the audience. It is nevertheless a good movie. The soundtrack should definitely be rated among the 15 best soundtracks of all time. I'm actually still humming on one of the songs; "The Flame Still Burns", sung by Jimmy Nail.

'Strange Fruit' was a 70s rock band of excesses. Their last gig in 1977 was cut short by a lightning strike. Twenty years later, keyboardist Tony Costello (Stephen Rea) is looking to reunite the band. Karen Knowles was the band's gofer who is now a single mom to Clare (Rachael Stirling) with a hotel job. Bassist Les Wickes does roofing. Lead singer Ray Simms (Bill Nighy) is now sober but hasn't produced a thing. Drummer Beano Baggot (Timothy Spall) works in the nursery, lives in a trailer on his mother's property and running from the tax woman. Lead guitarist Brian Lovell seems to be dead. Their roadie Hughie Case (Billy Connolly) shows up with all their old gear. They find a new lead guitarist in young Luke Shand.

This is a likable group of actors and characters. There are some emotional drama and a few good laughs. It's a nice light-hearted comedy. It could be funnier and there is room to be wackier. The songs could also be better. Nevertheless, the group is sweet and they have good chemistry together.

I found 'Still Crazy' to be marvelously entertaining, and not only to those of us who lived through that raucous era of late '60s, early '70s rock. My 15 year old daughter watches it with me every time I drag out the DVD (don't worry, it's only been three times) and she loves it too.

It is a truly loving, poignant and hilarious nod to the era, and every actor hits his/her notes with perfection. It was my first introduction to Bill Nighy and I am glad his somewhat similar turn in 'Love Actually' brought him more attention. Bruce Robinson was incredible as Brian, bringing real life to what could have been a caricature of the drug-damaged rocker stereotype. It was interesting to see that Robinson has made quite a name for himself as a writer.

I live in Sherman Oaks, California, and after the first time I saw the movie I bumped into Billy Connolly at the local mall (he lived here at the time) and told him it was one of my five favorite films of all time. He invited me to sit down at the food court with him and we discussed the movie for some time. We even talked of the idea of an American-oriented remake before wisely dismissing that. Why mess with the original?

My only problem with 'Still Crazy' is that it wasn't hugely popular in theaters and too many people have missed out on a wonderful experience.

Don't expect "This Is Spinal Tap", even though DVD packaging, advertising and movie critics might lead you to that expectation. True, "Still Crazy" is about an aging 70s rock band staging a flaccid comeback, but that's where the similarities end.

"Spinal Tap" delved into the utterly absurd and featured songs whose lyrics were so laughably adolescent that you'd have tears streaming from your eyes before the 1st chorus ends. What's brilliant about it is that, despite its outrageousness, "Spinal Tap" was basically a true chronicle of rock history, with only some exaggerations. It was a case of absurdity being more real than reality.

Here in "Still Crazy", there are no disastrous hijinks (except maybe the first 5 minutes when the band gets struck by lightning), and the characters aren't as phenomenally thick and/or stumbling drunk as you'd expect rockers to be in a comedy. Contrast this against the reality of, say, Jimi Hendrix splitting the seat of his pants onstage at the Isle of Wight, or Ozzy Osbourne mumbling incoherently about sniffing a horse's butt (on "The Last Supper"), and immediately you get the feeling that "Still Crazy" didn't go as far as it could have.

OK, that's where my criticism ends. If you can get past the idea that this is not a nonstop laugh riot, you can really enjoy the movie for its story and characters. The story is linear and mostly predictable, but there are enough twists & turns to keep you entertained. And the characters, particularly the lead singer Ray, have a way of endearing themselves to you like a lost puppy dog.

"Still Crazy" is not a spoof of rock music. It's a pretty realistic story of a bunch of geezers rekindling their musical dreams and having some good & bad times along the way. The music was written by Mick Jones of Foreigner, so it's pretty good with some rousing numbers toward the end. This is an entertaining film from start to finish.

If you want a riotously funny spoof, check out "Spinal Tap", "The Rocker", "Music & Lyrics" or the hilarious documentary "Anvil! The story of Anvil". I would put "Still Crazy" in the category of a light comedy like "Face the Music", "Pirate Radio" or the obscure gem "Ladies and Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains".

This is perhaps the best rockumentary ever- a British, better This Is Spinal Tap. The characters are believable, the plot is great, and you can genuinely empathise with some of the events- such as Ray's problem with fitting in the band.

The soundtrack is excellent. Real period stuff, even if it is in the same key, you'll be humming some of the songs for days. What I liked was the nearly all-British cast, with some of the favourite household names. Ray's wife is priceless...

The film never drags, it just goes at the right pace, and has some genuinely funny sections in it. A generator of some really good catchphrases!

It's a hidden diamond.

'Still Crazy', the story of the comeback of fictional seventies rockers Strange Fruit, has a televisual feel to it, and a formulaic construction: there's little in the tale that you wouldn't expect. But it's also genuinely funny in quite a number of places, and offers a believably shambolic representation of its heroes. It has to be said that the group are more convincing when they're meant to be bad then in their eventual triumph, when they're dependent on the limited talents of Jimmy Naill to pass themselves off as a much-loved institution. But the piece lacks the pretensions of Todd Haynes' 'Velvet Goldmine' and can be enjoyed as simple fun, rather more enjoyable then perhaps it should be.

I'm 60 years old, a guitarist, (lead/rhythm), and over the last forty years, I've been in four bands, it's all there, the fights, the foul-ups, the rotten food, the worse accommodation, always travelling, little or no money, and every one was drunk or high. But, the clubs, the fans, and the music, made it all worth it! Just like Strange Fruit! I'm too damn old for it now, and the arthritis in the hands and hips mean no more rocking, but for the length of that video, it all came back, and it was all there! The birds, the brawls, and the booze! And I was young again! It's just like Billy Connolly's voice over, God likes that 70's stuff! Rock On Forever!

Although a sort of comedy/drama-lite, "Still Crazy" does something which most of the recent raft of formula romantic comedies fail to do. Specifically, the film manages character development so well that their absurd nature, necessary to be funny, does not interfere with the emotional "buy in" making it possible for the audience to empathize with the characters while enjoying their humorous antics. "SC" tells of a motley bunch of aging ex-rock stars who, after 20 years apart, reconstitute the band to have a go at touring again. The film uses the Rea and Aubrey characters as the center of gravity (straight wo/man) around which the rest of the band can create off-the-wall humor, some decent music, and some poignant moments. The result is a very good journeyman effort which will likely be enjoyed most by "baby boomers"...even those who may have outgrown rock music.

I really wanted to like this film, the premise was pretty good, decent cast, and very early on it was earthy and believable. As it progressed it really started to become so painfully self-conscious and cliché ridden I breathed out heavily with disappointment. I even liked the early songs (they were at least kind of believable, 'All Over The World' was actually pretty good), but the rose tinted view of rock'n'roll maaan, the lazy stereotypes, left a bitter taste in my mouth. Then, about half way through, everyone became so earnest and noble and pretty much any hope of this film expressing any genuine emotion disintegrated (It became the visual equivalent of listening to a Bono speech). These are also the qualities which I've always found the least attractive in real music. It became an obvious ego-trip for certain parties (JImmy Nail?, you bet) and the fabulous talents of Stephen Rea and Bill Nighy were all but wasted. The comedy became pretty thin too, the writers (who have been brilliant in the past) just refused to stretch themselves, resorting to every cliché in the book... Worst of all tho'? THE song, 'Flame Still Burns'!! It's about the worst song I've ever heard (how I'm supposed to be pleased a group of 60's trailblazers turn out a hideous AOR power-ballad song like this I really don't know?)... It's even worse than 'Wind of Change' by Scorpions.... Horrible, middle of the road 'power ballad with meaning' rock, eight!!... I guess if you love music like that your gonna love this, so that's fair enough... Personally this dreadful song just made me wish these fictitious fruits had died in a plane crash in '73........

I was really looking forward to watching a cutting edge comedy but I was really dissapointed in what I saw. Don't get me wrong Still Crazy is an entertaining film but it is nothing we haven't seen before , which is a real shame considering it stars the likes of Timothy Spall and Billy Connolly. It never seems to get off the ground until the last 10 minutes.

6 out of 10

An excellent cast makes this movie work; all of the characters are developed exceedingly well and it's clear that the actors enjoyed filming this movie.

It's not quite the comedy I expected, much more a lighthearted look at the attempt to reclaim youthful glory than bawdy humor. For music fans there are quite a few subtle references that in themselves are intelligently funny.

I hate drawing direct comparisons to other movies, but so much of this movie reminded me of Alan Parker films I can't help it: imagine if The Commitments actually did make it big -- and then tried to recapture said glory 25 years later.

Hello, I was alanrickmaniac. I'm a Still Crazy-holic. It was just another movie I watched partly on TV. Then I had to get the video tape to finally find out how it ends. Then I wanted the DVD, because the tape showed first signs of decay after a few weeks. After the DVD I had to lay my hands on the soundtrack. Then on several film posters and the film script. Right now it has become that worse that I try to push other people into addiction with my website and Still Crazy parties.

How could that happen? What drove me into addiction?

OK, it's one of those funny but somehow sad and melancholic intelligent comedies like only the British can produce.

Alright, the movie is worlds apart from stuff like ''This Is Spinal Tap'', because of the characters, that aren't childish or ultra cool, but real. This is a story about men getting older, too. A story about men getting along with each other. Or don't. It contains some of the best actors possible. Tim Spall. Stephen Rea. Bruce Robinson. Jimmy Nail. And Bill Nighy. Bill Nighy who puts on one of the best performances I've ever seen in a film.

Good, the soundtrack is unbelievable. Foreigner's Mick Jones has written the songs for the imaginary band Strange Fruit. Jimmy Nail who plays bass-man Les Wickes and Bill Nighy portraying the egocentric but awkward singer Ray Simms are really singing. We know that about Jimmy Nail, but if you've only heard Bill Nighy's singing in "Love Actually", you have no idea how great and powerful his voice is.

Well, you'll fever for every scene to come for the x-th time, especially those concert scenes. You'd die to be able to really stand in the dancing crowd when Strange Fruit is doing "All Over The World", singing on the top of your lungs. You long to cry and celebrate with thousands of people the rebirth of the real Strange Fruit at Wisbech's festival stage.

It's hard but... I'm addicted to this film. I'm addicted to Strange Fruit. If there's a world where this band really exists I'd like to move there.

Got Still Crazy... anyone?

Good film-When did this name get chosen. B before internet and just don't goole it.

Billie holiday song of same name shocking to the core: Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastor scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouths Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rut, for the trees to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop Really powerfull song, if only, it was just a song.

Alright. The cast is superb. these guys are all probably real big in UK but to me they were total strangers that I fell in love with. the story is real and makes one realize what the life of a rock band really is like. the funny moments and drama are very effective and realistic. And the song of the film will bing tears to the eyes of those who watch it. I have this film ad have watched it many times with different friends. and everytime the ending kicks in we all sit back and smile and say AAAAAH how nice. PS: the soundtrack is fantastic, even though a song I heard called ROCK N ROLL PROPHECY by LINES OF D could have had the same effect in the end but for a more ROCKIN audience. The soundtrack is superb. One thing I kept asking people was whether or not STRANGE FRUIT were a real band cause they seemed so real.

Bill Nighy playing the lead singer with relationship, financial, and past alcohol / substance issues leads this movie and provides most of it's comic value. This is not his Greatest performance, but adds a lot of depth and range to an actor I first noticed in 'The Girl in the Café.' Where did I get the idea that he could only play stodgy old bureaucrats? I have certainly seen Nighy in some Great Movies, but don't always come away remembering his parts like I will from this one.

Juliet Aubrey brings heart to this film, as one who has moved on, but still feels the call of these crazy performers that she loved.

I wasn't that crazy about this movie. There will be viewers who will love it more based on credible backstage drama of getting rock star egos together to perform, not just in their Youth, but years later when they carry the baggage and scars of their earlier dreams.

I don't know how this film got an 'R' rating? Drugs and Sex are real part of the Rock Band environment, but do not seem to be glorified in this film. Per the plot - these characters paid dearly for the substance abuses of their youth in Death, Separation, and Lost Loves. There's not enough Vulgar Language, Nudity, Drugs or Sexual Situations to deserve more than a PG-13! (Maybe for an 'R' I was disappointed there wasn't MORE!)

What a good movie! At last a picture revealing a unknown side of rock: illusions of fame. Well-known Rockers are getting old and forgotten, not the music. And with a good sense of humour. Have you ever danced on Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock?

Anyway, Still Crazy is probably the best movie about rock n'roll I have ever seen. Far much better than Spinal Tap for instance. Why? Because in Still Crazy, people are mature. They have a different point of view about rock, about love and about life. They want to catch up with their crazy youth they miss so much. Beyond the story itself, we see characters with their own personality, weaknesses and dreams. Like anyone of us.

Spend a good time watching this (listen to the awesome soundtrack! )and finally thinking of your own future.

Bye!

I really do try to avoid spending money on bad films and that is why I do read all available reviews. Therefore I feel very let down that I ended up eagerly anticipating this piece of throwaway nonsense. The acting is fine, or even impressive in some cases, but that can't possibly compensate for a ridiculous plot and some terrible music... The new 'Full Monty'? I think not.