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"Don't go, man. We love you. And if you attempt to leave, we will try and kill you."

1990 R / Comedy Romance Directed by: Tony Bill Starring: Dudley Moore, Daryl Hannah, Paul Reiser

Tagline

A comedy about truth in advertising.

Summary Capsule

An ad man goes nuts and creates a slew of ads that present the honest, brutal truth in their products.

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Amazon.com: DVD

Justin's Rating: Justin: The Fresh-Maker
Justin's Review: My mother, doing freelance writing, deals with a lot of advertising, and she finds this film one of the funniest tributes to the field. Hi Mom! You made it into one of my reviews! This also marks the only cult film that my parents found before I did.

"They're the film version of mental patients — slightly kooky, but they aren't really insane by our standards. No screaming, no childhood trauma, no self-mutilation, no excessive drug use."

Crazy People stars Dudley Moore as an ad executive who's in charge of coming up with all those slogans that we're bombarded with every day. At the film's opening, his wife has left him and he's sick of the lies that advertisers spew forth regularly. So he decides to create a bunch of ads that are brutally truthful. This, of course, does not go over well in his company. His boss, thinking he's plunged over the edge, commits him to a mental hospital. But then his ads mistakenly get into press, they become a hit, and Moore and his fellow crazies are called on to create more of these unique ads.

First of all, an in-depth analysis of Dudley Moore. He's short. He's English. He's not all that handsome or funny. His appearance in movies is about as inexplicable as Cindy Crawford's Fair Game or Pamela Anderson Lee's Barb Wire (and at least they had certain assets going for them). Plus, they romantically match up Moore with Daryl Hannah who, along with Goldie Hawn, need to be brought to that dark back room of the studio lots, given a small, painless injection, and mercifully put out of their annoying acting careers.

Crazy People is pretty much divided into two sections. The first is the plot with Moore, his mean bosses, his new nutty friends, burgeoning romance, and final escape from the institution. It's o-kay, tolerable, and occassionally funny. I love the inmates: David Paymer as George, who only says "Hello" (it's his favorite word); Saabs, a guy who obsesses about the car; an ex-judge; and this big black guy who knits. They're the film version of mental patients — slightly kooky, but they aren't really insane by our standards. No screaming, no childhood trauma, no self-mutilation, no excessive drug use. I particularly love the scene where the inmates are given cars as payment for their services, and they drive them around the lawn to the fear of the orderlies.

The second, and much more interesting, section is the ads themselves. These ads are what elevates this film to cult status. I don't know how they got actual companies to let the filmmakers abuse and present them in a very odd light, but I'm glad they did. I won't spoil them (there's a couple dozen, scattered through the movie), but they range from the benign ("Volvos: Boxy, but Nice") to outrageous ("Paramount Pictures Presents The Freak. This movie won't just scare you, it will f**k you up for life."). The commercials that are featured later in the movie are the best, hysterical in their ruthless approach.

Don't let Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah on the cover make you pass this quirky, funny movie. Trust me, the guy who bathes at least once a day, and shaves three times a week.

Hair did not survive the early 90's intact Drew does "performance art" to the consternation of others They let women drive now? Outrageous!

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Stay for the credits! They play George's favorite song, the "Hello Song", complete with subtitled lyrics and a bouncing ball.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

John Malkovich was originally cast in part of Emory Leeson, but walked off the set due to personal problems.

Writer Mitch Markowitz was originally also hired as director but was replaced by Tony Bill after three weeks of shooting.

Groovy Quotes

Bruce: Don't go, man. We love you. And if you attempt to leave, we will try and kill you.

Drucker: [reading the newspaper] "Paramount Pictures presents 'The Freak.' This movie won't just scare you, it will f**k you up for life." I want to know how the f**k the word "f**k" gets in the New York f**king Times!

Stephen: We can't level, you crazy bastard, we're in advertising!

Robles: Porsche. It's a little too small to get laid IN it, but you get laid the minute you get out of it!

Drucker: Harris. Say something honest, no holds barred.
Harris: I like... small boys.
Drucker: About the product, you fucking idiot!

Kathy: Pretty girls are breaking everybody's back.
Emory: But you're pretty. I mean, really pretty.
Kathy: Yes, but I don't have the problems normally associated with prettiness... because, when I was a child, I looked like Ed McMahon.

Kathy: Who here wants to be an advertising executive?
[several hands go up]
Emory: Who here wants to be a fire truck?
[everyone raises their hands, with several standing and commenting things like "Ooh, I do!" and "Me! Pick me!"]

Kathy: Hold me. Please hold me.
Emory: I am holding you.
Kathy: I know, but it's a woman thing. I have to say it.

Soundtrack Review

Nothing notable, except the Hello song.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Tommy Boy
• Girl, Interrupted
• Nothing to Lose