C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

Director:

Jean-Marc Vallée

Writers:

François Boulay (writer)
Jean-Marc Vallée (writer)

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Growing up in this family, you'd have to be... C.R.A.Z.Y.

Plot:

C.R.A.Z.Y. Extraordinary lives of ordinary people in search of love and happiness - that's the premise of "C.R.A.Z.Y", a family drama unlike any other.

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Bicycle Accident | Birthday Present | Israel | Asthma

Awards:

37 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Michel Côté	...	Gervais Beaulieu
Marc-André Grondin	...	Zachary Beaulieu 15 à 21 ans
Danielle Proulx	...	Laurianne Beaulieu
Émile Vallée	...	Zachary Beaulieu 6 à 8 ans
Pierre-Luc Brillant	...	Raymond Beaulieu 22 à 28 ans
Maxime Tremblay	...	Christian Beaulieu 24 à 30 ans
Alex Gravel	...	Antoine Beaulieu 21 à 27 ans
Natasha Thompson	...	Michelle 15 à 22 ans
Johanne Lebrun	...	Doris
Mariloup Wolfe	...	Brigitte 15 à 20 ans
Francis Ducharme	...	Paul
Hélène Grégoire	...	Madame Chose
Michel Laperrière	...	Psychothérapeute
Jean-Louis Roux	...	Prêtre
Mohamed Majd	...	Bédouin
Claude Gagnon	...	Narrateur
Jean-Alexandre Létourneau	...	Christian Beaulieu 15 à 17 ans
Sébastien Blouin	...	Antoine Beaulieu 12 à 14 ans
Félix-Antoine Despatie	...	Yvan Beaulieu 13 à 16 ans
Gabriel Lalancette	...	Yvan Beaulieu 8 à 9 ans
Denis Trudel	...	Oncle Georges
Paule Ducharme	...	Tante Diane
Aline Hooper	...	Grand-mère Angèle
Isabelle Page	...	Tante Monique
Christian Vezina	...	Oncle Lucien
Anik Vermette	...	Corinne
Marie-Yong Godbout-Turgeon	...	Min
Aziz Attab	...	Vendeur kiosque de cartes postales
Philippe Muller	...	Jeune étranger
Jérôme Aubin	...	Jérôme
Jean-Marc Vallée	...	Jeune prêtre
Marie-Michelle Duchesne	...	Michelle 6 à 8 ans
Alexandre Ayotte	...	Thomas
Mathieu Pelletier	...	Étudiant costaud
Élizabeth Adam	...	Brigitte 6 ans
Emmanuel Raymond	...	Raymond Beaulieu 7 ans
Charles-Édouard Tanguay	...	Chistian Beaulieu 9 ans
Émile Gagnon-Girard	...	Antoine Beaulieu 6 ans
Olivier Benard	...	Bébé Zachary naissant
David Vaillant	...	Bébé Yvan 7 mois à 1 an
Hugo Vaillant	...	Bébé Yvan 7 mois à 1 an
Alexandre Marchand	...	Bébé Yvan 3 mois
Nikita Jaksi	...	Bébé Yvan naissant
Yves Perreault	...	DJ
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jonathan Collins	...	Emilio
Antoine Côté-Potvin	...	Raymond Beaulieu 13 à 15 ans

Directed by
Jean-Marc Vallée

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
François Boulay		writer
Jean-Marc Vallée		writer

Produced by
Jacques Blain	....	executive producer
Pierre Even	....	producer
Nicole Hilaréguy	....	line producer
Richard Speer	....	executive producer
Jean-Marc Vallée	....	co-producer

Original Music by
David Bowie

Cinematography by
Pierre Mignot		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Paul Jutras

Casting by
Daniel Poisson

Production Design by
Patrice Vermette		(as Patrice Bricault-Vermette)

Art Direction by
Patrice Vermette

Costume Design by
Ginette Magny

Makeup Department
Réjean Goderre	....	key hair stylist
C.J. Goldman	....	special makeup effects artist
Kathy Kelso	....	makeup artist: extras
Christine Larocque	....	wig maker
Adrien Morot	....	key special makeup effects artist
Micheline Trépanier	....	makeup department head
Nathalie Trépanier	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Zoubir Belgsir	....	unit manager
Laurent Communaux	....	unit manager
Danny Turgeon	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Noureddine Aberdine	....	first assistant director
Emilie Malo	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Natacha Antiglio	....	coordinator
John-Michael Bellamy	....	props
Charles-André Bertrand	....	property master
Martin Chalifoux	....	construction manager
Louis Frederic Denomme	....	set dresser
Martin Handfield	....	on-set property master
Jose Holder	....	storyboard artist
Amélie Leonard	....	assistant to set designer (as Amélie Léonard)
Alain Perron	....	assistant art director
Alain Rouiller	....	set dresser
Mélanie Truchon	....	scenic painter
Halima Zniber	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Yvon Benoît	....	sound mixer
Daniel Bisson	....	sound recordist
Luc Boudrias	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anton Fishlin	....	sound editor
Bernard Gariépy Strobl	....	sound re-recording mixer
Hans Laitres	....	sound re-recording mix assistant
Patrick Lalonde	....	assistant sound mixer
Patrick Lalonde	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Jacques-Alexandre Levesque	....	foley artist assistant
Mira Mailhot	....	sound editor
Simon Meilleur	....	foley artist
Mireille Morin	....	sound editor
Martin Pinsonnault	....	supervising sound editor
Jean-François Sauvé	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Normand Gobeille	....	special effects technician
Guillaume Murray	....	special effects supervisor
Martin Williams	....	special effects rigger

Visual Effects by
Nicolas Cadorette	....	compositor
Marc Cote	....	visual effects director (as Marc Cõté)
Daniel Coupal	....	compositor
Thai Son Doan	....	compositor
Gunnar Hansen	....	visual effects consultant
Isabelle Langlois	....	digital compositor
Isabelle Riva	....	production consultant
Sylvain Theroux	....	lead digital artist
Jean Phillipe Traore	....	Flame artist
Kim Yong-Kyun	....	lead technical director
Kim Yong-Kyun	....	senior compositor

Stunts
Philippe Roberge	....	stunt rigger

Camera and Electrical Department
Geoffroy Beauchemin	....	underwater camera operator
Michel Bernier	....	focus puller
Jean-François Dasylva-LaRue	....	grip
Andre-Pierre Lampron	....	electrician
Denis-Noel Mostert	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Yanka Pelletier	....	grip
Sébastien Raymond	....	still photographer
David Reinhard	....	first assistant camera: underwater scenes
Geoffroy St-Hilaire	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Francois Tousignant	....	loader

Casting Department
Mustapha Grumij	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anne-Marie Aird	....	costume design assistant
Julie Amyot	....	dresser

Editorial Department
Marie-Hélène Bourget	....	assistant on-line editor
Simon Broderick	....	telecine colorist
Geneviève Hébert	....	director of post-production
Sylvain Lebel	....	additional editor
Arthur Montreuil	....	color timer

Other crew
Guy Aumond	....	production accountant
Annemarie Berthiaume	....	production assistant
Brigitte Chabot	....	unit publicist
Danielle Dussault	....	location manager
Jeannette Garcia	....	assistant to producer
Charlene Hodge	....	accounting assistant

Thanks
Chantal Cacheux	....	thanks
Sylvain Guy	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Cirrus Communications
• Crazy Films

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Océan Films (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Quality Films (2006) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Soda Pictures (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• TVA Films (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Tour de Force (2006) (Norway) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Bir Film (2006) (Turkey) (all media)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (retail)
• EuroVideo (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (rental)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (all media)
• Genius Products (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Lighthouse Pictures (2006) (Singapore) (all media)
• Orlando Films (2005) (Israel) (all media)
• Red Envelope Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• TF1 Vidéo (2006) (France) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Fake Pictures (visual and digital finishing)
• Fake Studio (visual effects, post-production)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Concept & Creation Mordicus  construction
• Kodak Canada  film stock
• Locations Michel Trudel  camera equipment provided by

Also Known As:

C.R.A.Z.Y. (UK) (USA)
Crazy (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

Canada:127 min (Québec) | Argentina:127 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Ireland:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:M18 | Germany:12 | Hungary:14 | Finland:K-11 | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Sweden:11 | Australia:MA | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Canada:13+ (Québec)

Filming Locations:

Essaouira, Morocco

Company:

Cirrus Communications

Trivia:

It took Jean-Marc Vallée 10 years to write this film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a scene set in the late 1970s, a VIA Rail Canada train with "Renaissance" cars is visible in the background. These cars were first put into service by VIA Rail more than 20 years later.

Quotes:

Laurianne Beaulieu: [in the parking lot] It's what he wanted.
Gervais Beaulieu: So? It's not up to him. You want to turn him into a fairy?
[looking at Zac's toy]
Laurianne Beaulieu: Stop it, he's only five!
Gervais Beaulieu: He's almost six and looks seven.
Laurianne Beaulieu: Oh, come on!
Gervais Beaulieu: Never mind 'come on'. Now return it. Go on.

Soundtrack:

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Growing up in Quebec in the sixties and seventies.

C.R.A.Z.Y. is simply one of the best movies of all time. It encapsulates a time and a place – Quebec in the sixties, seventies and eighties and evokes the era with an amazing sound track and jaw-dropping acting. You're there, in the moment with Gervais, played by Michel Côté who is the macho factory-working Dad.

He's the proud father of five sons but gradually realizes that one of them is a 'sissy' and takes this on personally in the jock world he inhabits. The father is a fully rounded character, not cast in the black and white mold so prevalent in other movies of this genre as his puzzled love for his fourth son Zac, played by Marc-André Grondin, is palpable.

The movie takes off in completely unexpected directions. Zac is totally uncomfortable with his sexuality and prays all the time for a 'cure'. He just wants to be like his brothers and earn the love and acceptance of his father. It is telling that for Gervais, he can accept his druggie son but not the one he suspects of being a 'fairy'.

There is a huge amount of humour in the movie, one scene in the cathedral with the boys' choir singing "Sympathy for the Devil" brought a joyful laughter to the audience I was in. It is that kind of movie. Gervais sings Charles Aznevour's hits with predicable regularity and has a thing for Patsy Cline and her music.

It is the era when everything was changing and insular Quebec, like the rest of the world, was being exposed to the outside world of David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane. Zac embraces all of these changes and struggles with his orientation.

Nothing is ever graphically portrayed, the plot is character driven all the way with incredible little sidelines and sidebars thrown in to add to the concoction. (One scene of a drunken brawl played to a beautiful opera piece comes to mind.)

Danielle Proulx, who portrays the mother, does not have much dialogue (typical of the era) but when she does speak it packs a wallop. She has a wonderful scene with Gervais where they discuss anal sex and a couple of others where her psychic ties to her son Zac are evident but never discussed.

The film just gets under your skin, you are there, in that microcosm of time when the world was changing so drastically and we just didn't know it. 9 out of 10. Take a bow Jean-Marc Vallée; you have an absolutely amazing talent! Bravo to the entire cast and crew. Movies are a pleasure when they're this special, and yes, I would see it again.