Crazy/Beautiful
Crazy/Beautiful | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Stockwell |
Written by | Phil Hay Matt Manfredi |
Produced by | Rachel Pfeffer Harry J. Ufland Mary Jane Ufland |
Starring | Kirsten Dunst Jay Hernandez Bruce Davison |
Cinematography | Shane Hurlbut |
Edited by | Melissa Kent |
Music by | Paul Haslinger |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13 million[2] |
Box office | $19.9 million[2] |
Crazy/Beautiful (stylized as crazy/beautiful) is a 2001 American
Plot
Carlos Nuñez is a 17-year-old Mexican-American teen from
The romance runs into obstacles that arise from their different backgrounds, as when Carlos invites Nicole to a family party and she feels out-of-place as the only white person there. She pulls a stunt that lands Carlos in detention; and when she tells him to lighten up, he angrily points out that she doesn't appreciate the privileges she has. Despite the obstacles, their relationship blossoms. Carlos tries to steer Nicole away from her drug and alcohol abuse, and Nicole arranges a flying lesson for Carlos, who dreams of being a pilot but has never been in a plane.
Nicole's father offers to help Carlos with his Congressional sponsorship to the Naval Academy, but cautions against dating his daughter because he doesn't want to see Carlos dragged down by Nicole. Carlos's friends and family also look down on the relationship, fearing Nicole is a bad influence on him.
Feeling pressure from other peoples' expectations, Carlos breaks up with Nicole, sending her spiraling back into wild, drunken partying. One night, Carlos calls her and finds out she is getting drunk at a high school party. He goes to the party and saves her from a boy trying to take advantage of her. He drives her home, but they are stopped by the police.
As a result of this incident, Nicole's father and stepmother decide that she needs to go to a boarding school far from home. Carlos rescues Nicole and they run away together. While they are away, Nicole realizes she is obstructing Carlos's dreams, and decides it is time to face her problems so she can be better for Carlos and have a future with him. They return to her home, where she makes up with her father, who thanks Carlos for not listening to his advice to abandon Nicole. As the film ends, we see that Carlos has become a pilot with the United States Navy.
Cast
- Kirsten Dunst as Nicole Oakley
- Jay Hernandez as Carlos Nuñez
- Bruce Davison as Tom Oakley
- Lucinda Jenney as Courtney Oakley
- Taryn Manning as Maddy
- Soledad St. Hilaire as Mrs. Nuñez
- Rolando Molina as Hector
- Herman Osorio as Luis
- Miguel Castro as Eddie
- Tommy De La Cruz as Victor
- Richard Steinmetz as Coach Bauer
- Ana Argueta as Rosa
- Cory Hardrict as Wilcox
Production
Crazy/Beautiful was directed by John Stockwell, who was interested in casting actress Kirsten Dunst as a self-destructive teenager after seeing her role in The Virgin Suicides.[3] Dunst accepted the role because she was tired of playing "sweet" girls.[3] She also helped Stockwell convince Disney executives not to tone down the film's language and adult themes.[3] Although a nude scene was in the script, it was never filmed because Dunst was 17 years old when she was cast and her mother flatly refused to let her appear nude.[4] The film was originally titled "At Seventeen".[5]
Due to an
Reception
Crazy/Beautiful opened at #9 at the U.S. box office, taking in $4,715,060
The leads' acting was chiefly praised, with many critics saying it gave Dunst the opportunity to show her range as an actress.[12][13] In a three-star review, Roger Ebert wrote Crazy/Beautiful "is an unusually observant film about adolescence," and that Dunst and Hernandez bring "real conviction to the roles, [so] we care about them as people, not case studies."[14]
Stephanie Zacharek of Salon wrote, "[Dunst's] performance cuts deep...What’s so painful, and so moving, about her performance is that she's bracingly alive every minute. Her self-inflicted numbness is a defense against suffering, but not a solution to it. And when she looks into Carlos' eyes, she gives the sense of, momentarily at least, seeing her way clear.”[6] The Greensboro News & Record said Hernandez "manages to register such traits as honesty and integrity without being stuffy about it. That's not as easy as it might look."[9]
The film was also positively cited by critics for its handling of racial and cultural dynamics.[15] "This is a classic love story, but one that's not afraid to take a few jabs at the cluelessness of goodhearted liberals who, despite their admirable intentions, can never quite grasp how the other half lives," Zacharek wrote.[6]
The New York Times critic A. O. Scott praised the lead actors and the film's lively soundtrack, but criticized the writing of other characters as flat and superficial. He concluded that Crazy/Beautiful is "an enormous improvement over the brainless, patronizing teenage romances" of the time, but also said it could have been much better if the filmmakers "had trusted themselves and the actors a bit more".[16]
Soundtrack
Crazy/Beautiful | |
---|---|
Latin | |
Length | 1:00:28 |
Label | Hollywood Records |
Singles from Crazy/Beautiful | |
|
The
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ten la Fe" ( Emiliana Torrini) | 3:25 |
4. | "Wait" (Seven Mary Three) | 3:07 |
5. | "Every Time" (La Ley) | 3:59 |
6. | "La Reina del Lugar" (Serralde) | 4:23 |
7. | "Shattered" (Remy Zero) | 3:47 |
8. | "Boulevard Star" (Delinquent Habits) | 3:29 |
9. | "This Is Not My Life" (Fastball) | 3:03 |
10. | "Sumpin" (The Pimps) | 3:51 |
11. | "Alright" (Osker) | 1:43 |
12. | "Sleep" (The Dandy Warhols) | 6:03 |
13. | "She Gave Me Love" (The Getaway People) | 3:59 |
14. | "I Want to Believe You" (Lori Carson & Paul Haslinger) | 4:34 |
15. | "Perfect" (Maren Ord) | 3:49 |
16. | "Siempre (Everytime)" (La Ley) | 4:07 |
Total length: | 1:00:28 |
Home media
Crazy/Beautiful was released on DVD on November 13, 2001, by Touchstone Pictures.[21]
References
- ^ "Crazy/Beautiful". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c "crazy/beautiful". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c Germain, David (July 5, 2001). "Dunst drops her perky image for gritty 'crazy/beautiful'". The Daily Gazette. p. B8. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ "'crazy/beautiful': Kirsten Dunst Interview". Hollywood.com. June 27, 2001. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ Vice, Jeff (August 9, 2001). "Film review: crazy/beautiful". Deseret News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ Salon. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Friend, Tad (December 8, 2002). "They love you!". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ Podhoretz, John (July 6, 2001). "Joe's Crusade Ruins a Fine & Moral Film". New York Post. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "Crazy/Beautiful (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Crazy/Beautiful". Metacritic.
- ^ Caro, Mark (June 29, 2001). "Thanks to Dunst, a credible teen romance". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ "Kirsten Dunst's Crazy/Beautiful is a reminder of a more daring Disney". FanSided. June 25, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (June 29, 2001). "Crazy/Beautiful movie review & film summary (2001)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved September 5, 2022.
- ^ Morris, Wesley (June 29, 2001). "When love is a drug / 'crazy' crosses teen love story with social drama". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
...this is the rare interracial love flick where the white half is marginalized.
- ^ Scott, A. O. (June 29, 2001). "He's Poor, She's Rich. Made for Each Other!". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ "Cuevas in Hollywood". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 24. June 16, 2001. p. LM-6. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Band Gets Off Mary-Go-Round". May 13, 2001. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Genius. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- Amazon.com. Retrieved on September 13, 2008.
- ^ "Crazy/ Beautiful". Amazon. November 13, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2022.