Crazy on the Outside (2010)

I've had actually quite negative initial approach to this movie, regardless Sigourney Weaver's involvement who is my favourite actress. That was mainly caused by many extremely negative reviews. It's shame on me as usually I try to judge myself and never based on the reviews of critics who are very often doing weird statements. Crazy on the outside is an another example of underrated movie, totally crushed by critics. I have really enjoyed that movie. It's a debut of Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest, Toy Story) as a director. He is also a main role, a guy called Tommy, who has just left prison and wants to start new life, far from criminal past. The story shows that it won't be very easy for him. He is fully supported by his crazy sister, played by Sigourney Weaver (who teams up with Allen again, after brilliant performance in Galaxy Quest, 1999). And actually Sigourney, who isn't main character in the movie, is one of the best, if not the best element of Crazy on the outside. Of course story isn't brand new, dramatic conflicts are obvious, but this movie is great fun and provide solid, not stupid dose of humour. DVD release contains good sound and picture with English subtitles. It's really worth of your time.

Fmovies: This is a fine film, well written and well-acted with several deft directorial touches that will probably go unnoticed by the majority of viewers. (The baseball scene, anyone?) It is respectful of its subject matter, which is the re-adaptation period of an ex-convict to his former life. I found it more akin in nuanced subtlety to Fench comedies than anything made in America recently. It strives for realism and emotion while avoiding over-the-top mayhem and improbable situations. Sigourney Weaver is fascinating to watch in comedy mode as always and Tim Allen is believable in his part. I also liked that Tim Allen's crime was electronic pirating, a reality that is seldom even mentioned in Hollywood films. It's a given that all American comedies must rely on misunderstandings but, given that cliché, I think the trip to France cover story for Allen's incarceration was well-handled and (for once) not offensive to any foreign nation. I rented this DVD out of despair for the lack anything interesting on the horizon and was pleasantly surprised. I don't understand that it didn't make any impact on the box office given its star power and general appeal. This is another one of those little gems that can only be classified as "too good for America".

P.S.: The film got a Zero score on the Tomatometer by Critics and Top critics and a 62 % score by the community, which is an indication of how far removed those critics are from their public. What this means, of course, is that the public likes Tim Allen in whatever he does but that the critics choose to penalize him when he does something totally unpretentious. The IMDb user ratings also show two major disconnects: the first between men and women (men liked it, women didn't, probably because Tim Allen is not conventionally pretty and he acknowledges the differences between the sexes) and US and non-US users, proof that it helps to be non-American and not know anything about Tim Allen to recognize excellence and like this film.

I'd say enjoy it for what it is. Tim Allen's comedy 'Crazy on the Outside' was made to make people laugh. The title should be enough to suggest so. I don't know why people were and why they should be expecting otherwise. I for one had a great time watching it. with actors like Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, J.K. Simmons and Kelsey Grammar, who wouldn't have fun? Agreed that the story isn't exactly one of a kind but the humour is more than satisfactory. The dramatic sequences are a little clichéd but they are short and well acted. Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, J.K. Simmons, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Helen Slayton-Hughes, Ray Liotta and Kelsey Grammar act very well but it's Sigourney Weaver who's the scene stealer as she delivers a sincere and natural performance as Tommy's slightly crazy sister. Overall, if you don't take it too seriously, it will make you laugh. Don't pay too much heed to the negative reviews.

Crazy on the Outside fmovies. Let me first state the fact that I can watch and enjoy just about anything. This, however, was a slow, rough ride. "Crazy On The Outside" deserves an award for the most predictable movie ever made. I liked the cast but as a comedy, drama, or even a love story, it was weak. Also it seemed like the whole movie was shot too dark for the kind of film it was intended to be. The only characters that really achieved any depth at all were Allen's and Weaver's. I gave this a generous 4 out of 10.

And another thing that irritated me was all of the little special effects they kept tossing in as (non)humorous filler. I am referring to Allen's mother in black and white in the truck and the anger-meter when his sister made him mad, etc.

Also the two love interests were annoying despite the fact that Julie Bowen is one of the most visually perfect women to have ever walked the face of Earth. Jeanne Tripplehorn's character left me thinking that Tommy would have been better off in prison.

On paper, this movie seem to have be half decent. But nothing clicked for me. I think it suffered due to lack of laughs. There were a few smiles here and there, but things were just too predictable. We know how it was going to end.

And the part about the young boy trying to play matchmaker to his mother and an ex-con was idiotic. Also the part about mother accepting it was more idiotic. The kind of faith that she puts in him was just too naive, especially considering that she is a parole officer.

Sigourney Weaver's role was also very contrived. They could have taken the whole thing out of the movie without taking anything from the whole plot. The whole movie is mess really. There is no narrative coherence. Parts have been stacked on just to get some laughs. Alas, If only there were laughs. This is an old wine in an old bottle.

Tim Allen was at the top of his game when he made 'The Santa Clause' back in 1994. Sadly 16 years later his last film to date as a leading man is poor.

The idea behind the film is good and you certainly can't say that the cast isn't a good one, it's just that the film plods along as a snails pace and really isn't that funny. It's almost like Tim is trying to tick all the boxes to make a hit film and yet the magic spark isn't there.

I applaud him for trying his hand at directing, but the fact that half the other actors in the film appeared with him in other more successful films only gives a sense that he was calling in favours.

Even the DVD extras are a bit self congratulatory when you consider that Allen's company 'Boxing Cat' comes up right at the start.

I like Tim Allen, I like his work. This just wasn't a good example of it.