CAPSULE: Bob Marcus believes that a life lived in obscurity is not worth living. Bob's goal in life is simple. He wants his name to be a household word. He tries a stunt that is calculated to make news reported all across the nation. All he succeeds in doing is having himself committed to a mental facility. There he finds his fellow detainees are real screwballs but he also finds a new chance to become famous. This is a low-budget comedy with screwball characters, something rarely seen in such an economical film. Rating: +1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10
Electronic media have changed the world so that people can become celebrities in hours. This also means that fame-seekers who want to draw attention can do so in minutes. The social networks allow people who want to attract attention a venue to broadcast their questionable views. Our main character has his own quest for fame. But that is not really all this film is all about.
Gregory Lay plays Bob Marcus, the man who would be famous. As the film starts he is executing a plan, with the aid of a trampoline, to jump the fence into the President's Camp David retreat. Won't that make him famous? No, it just gets him committed to a mental facility. Perhaps this fame stuff is elusive. The patients seem just a little more rational than the patients in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Bob is one of four patients who form a little (just a little) dysfunctional group. Yes, the main character has a mania to become famous, but that mania will put him with three other eccentric friends on a quest with startling results. The jokes are a bit hit or miss, but it is limited by the budget of the film. Not many films could deliver this much humor on this small a budget.
None of this could be confused with any sort of realistic portrayal of real mental derangement, but people who are deranged are one of the last minorities whom it is acceptable to lampoon. Some of the humorous bits really are humorous bits and if there are not enough it is at least in part because the film runs a brief 78 minutes. There are moments that are reminiscent of Arthur Hiller's THE IN-LAWS. The film would be better with more such moments, but I will take what I can get.
The film feels a bit incomplete and imperfect, but it is a first feature film written by Bob Farcas. The director is Paul Jarrett.
I rate CRAZY FAMOUS+1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 6/10. CRAZY FAMOUS was released on DVD January 9th.
Film Credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3832126/reference
What others are saying: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crazy_famous
Mark R. Leeper Copyright 2018 Mark R. Leeper