Crazy in Alabama (1999)

An abused wife heads to California to become a movie star while her nephew back in Alabama has to deal with a racially-motivated murder involving a corrupt sheriff.

Director:

Antonio Banderas

Writers:

Mark Childress (novel), Mark Childress (screenplay)

Stars:

Melanie Griffith, David Morse, Lucas Black

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melanie Griffith	...	Lucille
David Morse	...	Dove
Lucas Black	...	Peejoe
Cathy Moriarty	...	Earlene
Meat Loaf	...	Sheriff John Doggett (as Meat Loaf Aday)
Rod Steiger	...	Judge Mead
Richard Schiff	...	Norman
John Beasley	...	Nehemiah
Robert Wagner	...	Harry Hall
Noah Emmerich	...	Sheriff Raymond
Sandra Seacat	...	Meemaw
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Mackie
Brad Beyer	...	Jack
Fannie Flagg	...	Sally
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Joan Blake

Storyline

A backwoods Alabama boy named Peejoe -short for Peter Joseph- gets a quick education in grown-up matters like freedom in 1965. The catalyst is an unlikely source - his glamorous, eccentric Aunt Lucille, who escapes from her abusive husband and takes off for Hollywood to pursue her dreams of TV stardom.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | police | lie | social injustice | racial issues | 

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Taglines:

Algunas veces hay que perder la razón para encontrar la libertad. (Mexico)

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, thematic material, language and a scene of sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the book, Caroline Clay guest stars on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) as a seductress who has designs on Jethro Bodine. In the film, she guest stars on Bewitched (1964) as Samantha's sister.

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Quotes

Chester Vinson's Voice: [as Lucille heads to the Golden Gate bridge to rid herself of Chester forever] C'mon, Lucille! You can't do this! You need me!
Lucille: [quietly] That was true once, but not anymore.

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Connections

Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #2.9 (2003)

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Soundtracks

We Shall Overcome
Traditional, arranged by Zilphia Horton, Guy Carawan, Frank Hamilton and Pete Seeger

User Reviews

A surprisingly wonderful film

I just got this movie on pay per view, I was so bored, I just wanted to watch anything. To my surprise, this was a fantastic film!! Everyone in it was great, and I was fully involved in it the whole time. Some of the best movies ever made, are the ones that never get recognized. This fits just right in that category. See this movie, even if it does not look good. It was amazingly under rated, and I think it deserves more. Great film, great acting, the whole thing was an awesome experience!

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crazy in Alabama

Filming Locations:

Laurel Valley Village Museum - 595 Highway 308, Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,010,596, 24 October 1999

Gross USA:

$2,005,840

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,005,840

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Green Moon Productions, Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Company Medien KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1