Review of Crumb (1995) by Nathan S — 02 Sep 2011

Normally I'm not a fan of documentaries but I have to say, "Crumb" was well done and it perfectly portrayed the life of the controversial artist that is Robert Crumb. Terry Zwigoff spent about six years filming this documentary and one can tell the dedication that went into the making of it. Crumb is a very interesting person and it's clear from the beginning that he loves art, which is one of the reason why this is great to watch. Throughout the documentary we meet the women of Crumb's past and also his two brothers and mother. All of these people have affected his artwork in one way or another and he even mentions early in the film that if he does draw constantly he begins to get suicidal tendencies. Crumb came from a very disoriented family and it clearly had an affect on him. His father mistreated him and his brothers and the fact that he seems so calm with it is kind of creepy.

Crumb has no problem revealing anything that went on his past because he knows that is what made him the person he is today. It's because of this that his artwork is so brilliant and controversial. He simply doesn't know how to draw anything else. He hates women and how materialistic the American culture is and so he pokes fun at those subjects in his artwork. Most women hate his portrayal of female body but the women in his life seem okay with because he is being honest and even sincere. He holds nothing back and it's something to admire. "Crumb" is a fascinating documentary that really captures the life of Robert Crumb and his family. What the documentary did best was that it didn't make us sympathize with any of them. His brothers have boring lives and have basically cut off all contact with the outside world. It's quite scary actually and it's astonishing that Crumb got out of there and made something of himself. Crumb is no saint himself, obviously, but he will go down as one of the best comic artists of his generation.