Still Crazy
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| Still Crazy | |
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| Directed by | Brian Gibson |
| Produced by | Amanda Marmot |
| Written by | Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais |
| Starring | Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Bill Nighy, Timothy Spall, Jimmy Nail, Juliet Aubrey |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Corporation, Marmot Tandy Productions, The Greenlight Fund |
| Release date(s) | 30 October 1998 |
| Running time | 95 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Still Crazy is a 1998 comedy film about a fictional 70's rock band named "Strange Fruit", who, after being split up for several years, are convinced to get back together to perform at a reunion of the same concert venue where they played their last gig. The film focuses on the personal lives on all of the different members, and their individual experiences with approaching middle-age and the success that eluded them.
It was nominated for two Golden Globes in 1999, but received surprisingly low attention given its cast lineup.
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[edit] Synopsis
The film opens with the band performing at the Wisbech Rock Festival in 1977. Hughie (Billy Connolly) is giving a commentary of how, due to the pursuit of "fame, fortune, and fornication" (as well as the O.D. of their original guitarist, Brian's brother, Keith), that was their last performance. In the middle of their concert, lightning strikes the stage and the members take the hint and split up in frustration over competing egos and various member's lack of self-control.
It then skips ahead 20 years to Tony Costello (Stephen Rea), who is in Majorca. He is recognised as one of the members of Strange Fruit by a stranger at a cafe, whose father happened to be the organiser of the original Wisbech Festival. Tony is persuaded to reunite the band.
He quickly manages to track down Karen (Juliet Aubrey), the band's original manager, who is now unhappily working in P.R.. She is at first reluctant to help with the reunion, but is inspired after finding some memorabilia in her garage.
Gradually, Karen and Tony track down the original members; Les (Jimmy Nail), who is a roofer with a family, David (Timothy Spall), who is working at a nursery and is being tracked down by the Inland Revenue, and Ray (Bill Nighy), who is living in a mansion with his Scandinavian wife, Astrid (Helena Bergstrom), and apparently working on a solo album. The final roadie, Hughie (Connolly), turns up unexpectedly. Brian (Bruce Robinson), who has been suffering over his brothers death, is presumed to have finally O.D.'d just like him, and is replaced by young Luke Shand (Hans Matheson) who admittedly has tallent but doesn't really know what he's getting himself into.
All the members of the band end up agreeing to the rock festival performance, and the band starts touring Europe after Karen negotiates a tour with a record company executive who owns their original catalogue. Their initial performances aren't very good and they are poorly received by the younger generation. Ray is still under delusions of grandeur (even going so far as to mistake a delivery signature for a request for his autograph). Les still resents Ray for having replaced Keith, Brian's highly gifted brother, who died of a drug overdose. Les and Beano (and Hughie but he has little effect on the band) have little hope for the band, firmly believeing both Keith and then Brian were the main talent. Ray is not performing up to everyone's expectations out of a fear of growing old (he has a birthday while on tour). Tony begins to make advances to Karen, but she is reluctant as she had always been deeply attached to Brian.
After one of the tour gigs in which Ray insists on playing a Ziggy Stardust-like rendition of one of his old songs, Ray confronts Les telling him "I can feel your eyes in me back everytime I walk out on stage". Les tells Ray he's always hated Ray's lyrics that's why he never remembers them. Ray spits back that Les hates him simply because he's not Brian saying "It's not 'cause they're great, it's 'cause they're dead! Maybe if I was dead I'd get some respect." to which Ray caustically replies "It would be a start". Ray has a breakdown, runs away from the gig and buys drugs from a man on the street (played by Mackenzie Crook) and falls into an icy canal. He is rescued by Claire (Karen's daughter) and his relationship with the band is bolstered when Tony tells Les that Ray tried to commit suicide. On the heels of their earlier conversation Les thinks Ray was trying to commit suicide for him and begrudgingly gives him a modicum of respect. Meanwhile Ray has an epiphany while in the canal that, although old, he's not dead.
After the bus breaks down and Karen confronts the band about the lack of confidence they meet a girl who's headed to Antwerp wearing an old Strange Fruit tour t-shirt. This is seen as one more in a growing number of signs to keep going, so they do. They gradually improves enough to play one successful show, with no onstage breakdowns, and their hopes look a little better. A week later there's a record deal and Ray let's Les sing (something his fragile ego could never handle before). However, after watching a previously taped interview with Zöe Ball on the television, in which Les and David (Beano) imply that the band was much better with Keith and Brian. Ray confronts Les and Beano revealing that they never forgave him for replacing Keith and quits altogether and the tour is cancelled.
As the band members return to their former lives Karen and Claire visit Keith's grave (to pay their respects to Brian since he didn't have a grave). Their they find a note: "Even after all this time the flame still burns. Love you, man. Brian". Karen knows it's from the real Brian and refers to the song Les and Brian wrote after Keiths death (The Flame Still Burns). Karin and Claire confront Hughie, known to have always taken care of Brian, and get him to tell where to find Brian. Karen and Tony visit Brian, who has secluded himself to escape the world of booze and drugs that was killing him. He agrees to talk to the band and try to reconcile them to continue playing. His return brings the band back together to play at the reunion of the Wisbech Festival (including Ray). But a conflict during the opening press conference (with questions like "Was the breakdown chemically induced or was it a result of your brother's death?", "Were you really in a mental hospital?", and "Was the whole thing a publicity stunt?") proves too much for Brian and he backs out of the performance.
The supposed Inland Revenue lady (Frances Barber) ends up finding drummer David at the concert, revealing that he was in a band at the first rock concert she ever went to. Her father hence forbade her from listening to rock ever again. When Beano asks what she wants from him she simply says: "quick violent sex".
As the band begins to play one of their classics, old ghosts return and they begin to break down. However, they are rescued when Tony starts to play a song that meant much to the band (The Flame Still Burns) but was never played in any concerts due to tensions between Les and Ray. They perform it together, healing the tension, as they now have the measure of each other. Even Brian finds the memory and respect for his brother is more than his fears of the limelight and joins during the bridge to the surprise and delight of everyone.
[edit] Trivia
- The title is influenced by Paul Simon's song, Still Crazy After All These Years.
- The "Druid Circle" that the band visit is a real-life stone circle in Avebury, frequently referred to as the "Avebury Circle".
- The Scottish band The Fratellis are big fans of the film. Their first album, Costello Music, is named after Tony Costello. They also thanked the band members of Strange Fruit during their acceptance speech for British Breakthrough Act at the 2007 BRIT Awards.
The career arc of Strange Fruit referenced career elements of several real-life acts, among whom were:
- Syd Barret's departure from Pink Floyd after his drug-induced nervous breakdown.
- Brian Wilson's withdrawal from the Beach Boys under similar circumstances.
- Ronnie Van Zant's death (along with other members of Lynyrd Skynyrd) in a 1977 plane crash, and subsequent replacement by brother Johnny
- David being tardy for the band's gig is reminiscent of Keith Moon for The Who's performances.
- Ray's character was supposedly inspired by David Coverdale of Whitesnake (more specifically in appearance and his solo album), and a friend of Ian La Frenais.
[edit] Quotes
"History teaches us that men behave wisely once they've exhausted all other alternatives." - Hughie (Billy Connolly
"I want to stand in the dark and see an audience feel the way I do." Karen (Juliet Aubrey)
- "Panic-stricken?" Hughie (Billy Connolly)
"If men are from Mars, and Women are from venus then drummers... are from Pluto!" - Hughie (Billy Connolly)
