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The Gods Must Be Crazy

  • 1980
  • PG
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
62K
YOUR RATING
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.
Play trailer2:00
1 Video
59 Photos
Desert AdventureSatireAdventureComedy

A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.

  • Director
    • Jamie Uys
  • Writer
    • Jamie Uys
  • Stars
    • N!xau
    • Marius Weyers
    • Sandra Prinsloo
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    62K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jamie Uys
    • Writer
      • Jamie Uys
    • Stars
      • N!xau
      • Marius Weyers
      • Sandra Prinsloo
    • 204User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:00
    Trailer

    Photos59

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    + 53
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    Top cast17

    Edit
    N!xau
    N!xau
    • Xi
    Marius Weyers
    Marius Weyers
    • Andrew Steyn
    Sandra Prinsloo
    Sandra Prinsloo
    • Kate Thompson
    Louw Verwey
    • Sam Boga
    Michael Thys
    Michael Thys
    • Mpudi
    Nic de Jager
    • Jack Hind
    Fanyana H. Sidumo
    • Card 1
    Joe Seakatsie
    • Card 2
    • (as Joe Seakatsi)
    Brian O'Shaughnessy
    Brian O'Shaughnessy
    • Mr. Thompson
    Ken Gampu
    Ken Gampu
    • President
    Paddy O'Byrne
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Graham Armitage
    Graham Armitage
    • The Reverend
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Vera Blacker
    • Mrs. Thompson
    • (uncredited)
    Pip Freedman
    • Mpudi
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Katinka Heyns
    • Young woman with noise in her head
    • (uncredited)
    Jamie Uys
    Jamie Uys
    • The Reverend
    • (uncredited)
    Janet Wells
    Janet Wells
    • Kate Thompson
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jamie Uys
    • Writer
      • Jamie Uys
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews204

    7.362K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    RT Firefly

    Proves Hollywood is crazy

    A lovely little simple film with a shoestring budget. This film proves Hollywood is crazy for spending so much money when all it needs to do is hire one clever person like (writer/director) Jamie Uys. This film is everything that Hollywood isn't. Simple, silly, fun, genuine, not slick, NOT contrived, real...etc... This movie also proves people don't care about big name actors and exploding cars (though if you are a bushman this has both those things). What they want is a good story told in a clever manner.
    8Agent10

    Interesting film, one that will be remembered for a long time

    It seemed simplistic, yet it was so brilliant in its execution that it ranks as one of the more interesting films of the last century. Unique and different, this film showed a different side of Africa and introduced one of the few genuine characters in the African Bushman. Highly recommended for anyone who has not seen this film. If you can find it, rent it.
    9johnjohnson68510

    Lots of laughs, honest joy.

    I don't know that I've ever seen a movie that had such innocent joy - I'm not sure if any other movie I've seen had any innocent joy, for that matter.

    Perhaps what true joy I've seen in movies is civilized and therefore self-conscious.

    Anyway, you can look at the crazy civilized world through the eyes of these innocents and have joy about it instead of cynicism. Can ordinary pain relievers do that?

    The premise is how one empty Coke bottle in the garden of Eden could corrupt it. They do a totally believable job of it, too.

    Lots of laughs, kids loved it. I saw it in the theaters in the mid-80's and am glad I saw it again. You'll like it. It will lighten your heart.
    CrawlingEye

    A happy movie

    This movie must have cost $1.98 to make. There are no special effects to speak of. Everybody in this movie is an unknown. So why do I LOVE this movie? All I can say is the whole time I was watching this, I had a smile on my face. The concept was then and even now, unique. You connect right away with the hero, and root him on to the end. I will not tell you what the film is about, because You must watch it with no preconceptions or political bias. Just go rent the tape or download it, and you will watch a really special movie.
    7Thanos_Alfie

    Funny and beautiful...

    "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is a Comedy - Adventure movie in which we watch a Bushman traveling in the end of the world when he gets involved with modern civilization. He does not know anything about it so, a lot of crazy situations occur.

    I found this movie simply amazing because it had a very clever plot, full of funny scenes and the narration of Paddy O'Byrne was equally good. The direction which was made by Jamie Uys who is also the writer, it was very good and he combined very well adventure with comedy while the narration added a new aspect in the movie. The interpretations of N!xau who played as Xi, Marius Weyers who played as Andrew Steyn and Sandra Prinsloo who played as Kate Thompson were very good. To sum up, I have to say that "The Gods Must Be Crazy" is a nice comedy movie to spend your time with and I recommend everyone to watch it because I am sure that you will laugh a lot and you will have a great time.

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    Funny People 2
    5.6
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    6.9
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    5.0
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    6.9
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    Related interests

    Brendan Fraser, John Hannah, and Rachel Weisz in The Mummy (1999)
    Desert Adventure
    Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
    Satire
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was the world's biggest non-US box office hit during its release.
    • Goofs
      At the end, when Andrew is covered in flour, a lipstick kiss appears on his cheek before Kate kisses him.
    • Quotes

      Narrator: Only 600 miles to the south, there's a vast city. And here you find civilized man. Civilized man refused to adapt himself to his environment; instead, he adapted his environment to suit him. So he built cities, roads, vehicles, machinery, and he put up power lines to run his labour-saving devices. But somehow he didn't know where to stop. The more he improved his surroundings to make life easier, the more complicated he made it. So now his children are sentenced to 10-15 years of school, just to learn how to survive in this complex and hazardous habitat they were born into. And civilized man, who refused to adapt to his surroundings, now finds he has to adapt and re-adapt every hour of the day to his self-created environment. For instance, if it's Monday and 7:30 comes up, you have to dis-adapt from your domestic surroundings and re-adapt yourself to an entirely different environment. 8:00 means everybody has to look busy... 10:30 says you can stop looking busy for 15 minutes. And then you have to look busy again... And so your day is chopped into pieces, and in each segment of time you adapt to a new set circumstances.

      Narrator: [Kate looks for a place to have her lunch] My I share a table?

      Kate Thompson: No wonder some people go off the rails a bit...

      Young woman with noise in her head: Does the noise in my head bother you?

      Young woman with noise in her head: No...

      Kate Thompson: [Later, Kate finds Pete] Pete, Have you still got that story about the teacher shortage in Botswana?

      Pete: Yeah, you gonna use it?

      Kate Thompson: No. Maybe they can use me.

      Narrator: But in the Kalahari, it's always Tuesday, or Thursday if you like, or Sunday. No clocks or calendars tell you to do this or that.

    • Connections
      Featured in N!Ai, the Story of a !Kung Woman (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      The Week's Work
      (uncredited) [UK release print]

      Music by John Fiddy and Sammy Burdson (i.e.Gerhard Narholz)

      Sonoton Musikverlag

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    FAQ20

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 26, 1984 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • South Africa
      • Botswana
    • Languages
      • English
      • Afrikaans
      • Ungwatsi
    • Also known as
      • Los dioses deben estar locos
    • Filming locations
      • Johannesburg, South Africa
    • Production company
      • C.A.T. Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $30,031,783
    • Gross worldwide
      • $30,031,783
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 49m(109 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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