Review of Still Crazy (1998) by Keith R — 13 May 2008

Aging survivors of a long-defunct 70's mid-list rock band have a chance to reunite, to reprise the festival that broke them up in the first place. Most of them are broke, or heading there, so they agree to give it a go. The film follows them on a warmup tour, as they they try to reconnect. Attempting to ride herd are Karen, a former lackey/groupie turned manager and Hughie, the one-man road crew and narrator.

The characters spend most of the film orbiting the empty space left by Brian, the former lead guitarist and soul of the band, who is missing and presumed dead. Old conflicts, rivalries and resentments churn.

Comparisons to This is Spinal Tap are unavoidable. This film is warmer, more affectionate of its characters and more British. Its inhabitants are more self-aware and vulnerable.

But the story can't really make its mind up about what it wants to do. It veers back and forth between poignancy and comedy without fully succeeding at either. Instead of dealing with either of the triangular, stuck-in-the-past, relationships (Karen-Brian-Tony and (Les-Brian-Ray), it ends with a cop-out. And Karen's daughter -- a main character who is present for pretty much the entire film -- seems to have no real purpose at all.

The cast is much better than the script, delivering several moments of pure entertainment. Bill Nighy deserves a particular nod for an endearing performance as the neurotic, barely-functional, front man.

Like the band it's about, this film thrashes about rather clumsily, never really escaping its own mediocrity. But you can't help but like it, anyway.