Reality television rips open the envelope, documenting the resurrection of a nation's highest paid and former drug addicted child star. Following a childhood near-fatal overdose, Richard Veide, realizes that his years of g... more »lamor as the most popular star status are tuned-out. He flips to a late-night sitcom, "I Can't Even Think Straight", where he stars as a promiscuous gay teenager. Hot shot filmmaker Katrina Matters shoots behind the scenes, to become enmeshed in the drama of Richard's insatiable quest for fame. Will Katrina shut the camera off before she pushes the fallen angel too far? Is there a line between reality, entertainment and good taste?« less
If you enjoy roller coasters you will unquestionably enjoy "Crazy Richard" (CultureQConnection, Ariztical). It is fascinating in its use of interesting techniques. The story is of a documentary filmmaker who is making a movie about Richard who was supposedly a child star in the 80s. Richard decides to come out as gay because he feels no one cares about him any longer. But everything goes deadly wrong. The movie is a comedy but I found it to be more of a drama with comedic moments. It is not hard to find comedy in traumatic situations. Whether or not the movie is based on a true story is never disclosed and you never really are sure if what you are watching ever really happened or just a movie. That is just how real it seems. I concluded that it is a satire on what happens to child stars. What we see is an individual who will do anything to be validated by society. This is compounded by the fact that he is a former child star who has outgrown his audience. When our star overdoes on drugs and ruins his acting career, he loses all that he had. When he tries to make a comeback by landing a late night comedy series, he claims to the media that he is straight but he is quite obviously a flamboyant gay male. He allows the filmmaker to follow him around and document his life with the hopes that will bring about interest in him and thereby makes his new series a hit and he will become a star again. The truth of the mater is that he is still using drugs and frequents gay bars where he has been seem making out with other guys. He also cries for attention. The humor becomes very dark and what was at first comedy becomes tragic. "Crazy Richard" pokes fun at drug abuse and desperation and death. Richard Viede looks like he can have quite a future in film. He is quite good looking in a very odd sort of way and he gives an admirable performance. His facial expressions are absolutely amazing. I have read some very negative reviews of this film and I just can't agree with them. There is a lot to like in the film and it shows a lot of promise. It's not perfect by any means but it is not the bomb that others claim. There are problems and the editing is a bit uneven but overall I found the movie to be more than satisfying. Personally, I like offbeat humor and satire so quite naturally I am fond of this film. Have aloof and judge for yourself. "
I know most everyone else hated it....
Ryan the Reviewer | Michigan | 02/13/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I thought this movie was amazing. The lead actor playing Richard was AMAZING...one of the best preformances I have seen in quite a while. I though the movie was very interesting; although many other reviewers thought it was all about the drugs and sex I think they might have missed the point a little. I think the film was more about voyerism and our cultures obsession with celebrity, and even more so it is about the people who like being watched. I would reccomend this movie to everyone, but do not start watching it expecting your regular Hollywood movie; this movie is out there, but still very enjoyable if you look at it through the right lens."
A new low for independent cinema. Buyers beware!!
ardar88 | Falls Church, VA USA | 09/29/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This is the story of a drug-addicted ex-child star that attempts a comeback. It is basically a depressing and pointless story that would have been better left untold. Made to look like a documentary, much of the dialogue is unintelligible due to poor sound quality. What can be understood isn't worth listening to. Definitely skip this one. It's terrible."
Well worth a look - unusual, intelligent film!
Steve O'Hare | 05/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This film is truly great. Bound for cult status I would definitely say. It's shot totally as if it were a real-life documentary, in fact there are many parts of this film which seem as if they actually happened. The characters are so engaging that I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next fast-paced jolt in the storyline. It's a really clever satire on how wrong American culture has gone - yes it's bleak, but it also manages to be side-splittingly funny in a very dark way. The music is also excellent. The production quality is a little "grungy" but for a no-budget independent film it certainly holds its own. It is one of those films that stay with you a while after you watch them, it posses many questions about our obsession with fame as a culture. But the best thing about this movie is the lead actor - he's hysterical! Very believably played and the level of his performance works in beautifully with the style of the film. Definitely worth a good look! By the way - I checked the company's website and it seemed fine. Try [...] "
A terrible piece of junk
John Seger | Los Angeles, CA USA | 10/07/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"The mock documentary starts out well enough. A pre-teen child star overdoses on drugs and ruins his acting career.Flash forward to the present, he is now seeking a comeback by starring in a late night gay comedy series. He claims to the media he is straight when he's obviously a flamboient gay young man. He allows a camera crew to follow him around in hopes of creating a buzz that will make his series a hit and himself a star again. Problem is, he is still on drugs, caught making out with guys at gay clubs, and acting desperate for attention.The idea sounds hillarious. And the lead actor is cute in a very odd sort of way, and he delivers his lines very convincingly.But after a very funny start, the film starts to fall apart. Things that probably looked funny on a script didn't translate well onto film. The main problem here is the dark humor ends up not being funny. It just ends up being dark and tragic. It also pokes fun at drug abuse, desperation and death in a way that simply is not funny. It also seemed rushed and didn't allow enough time to tell the story or focus enough on the main star, who is the most talented actor in this film. That is a big mistake. I really was looking forward to this film and rented it on netflix the first day it was released. The description said the film was over 80 minutes, but the DVD ran just under one hour. No extras/bonus features are included either.I feel if you are going to make a comic take on such a dark subject, the story needs to be fleshed out and treated as a dark comedy without exploiting things that simply are not funny. In the recent past, way too many real life tragic events have happened to famous people and it's simply not funny to me. Think Dana Plato for example: nothing was funny about her fall from grace into drugs and death. It's tragic. It's almost like making a comedy about a murder or a horrible car crash and poking fun at it. I do hope the lead actor gets more parts in films. He's an interesting actor that I'd like to see more of. It's not his fault the writers and the director didn't know how to properly flesh out the story, instead of rushing it to a finish the last 15 minutes of the film without leaving the viewer satasfied. What a shame. Also, the actress playing the director of the documentary was so annoying, I wanted her to just shut up. She has a complete lack of any talent and whines and screams 4 letter words the entire time. I hope to never see her in a movie again."