Cool and the Crazy (1994) Reviews

• I really liked this movie.

  kathiekel2002-09-28

  I really liked this movie. It is very hard to find since it is out of production. It is about Roslyn, played very well by Alicia Silverstone,who is a young newly-wed with marital problem. She goes out wtih her friend, played by Jennifer Blanc, to a dance and meets bad boy, Joey, played by Matthew Flint. Joey is no good, and is married himself, and this affair is hopeless from the beginning. What I like about this movie is that Alicia is EXTREMELY believeable when she is on the beach with Joey and she tells him to stop his advances, but she also wants him to continue. She whispers desperately, out a different era in American high school dating, for him to stop, "someone will see us", etc. The choice of soft backround music from the 50's really set the mood, also. Why this movie has had so little attention, and why your other writers do not seem to forcast the eventual greatness of Alicia Silverstone from this movie is beyond me. Of course, now the only edition of this movie is in PALS, in German.

• "90210" meets "Rebel Without a Cause"

  Leafman2001-08-24

  I never saw "Beverly Hills 90210," but I did see "Rebel Without a Cause". It's possible that this film could be a hybrid of both with its "who's going to sack up with whom" dramatics, as well as the occasional flashes of gang violence and car chases. This story, however, is set in the '50s. Alicia Silverstone and Jared Leto were high-school-sweethearts-turned-young marrieds-with-an-unplanned-child couple who struggle to find themselves amid a marriage gone sour. Alicia is cheating on Jared with bad-boy Joey (Matthew Flint, in a loud, obnoxious performance), so Jared decides to get even. The film's jazz soundtrack adds some ambience to the film, and the seedy look of L.A. during the fifties is OK, but on the whole, "The Cool and the Crazy" is mainly for fans of the stars. Ralph Bakshi might want to stick to his cartoons from now on...

• An Odd Film About Infidelity

  gavin69422014-01-28

  Unhappily married couple Roslyn (Alicia Silverstone) and Michael (Jared Leto) lead separate affairs that lead to violent repercussions for all. This was one of the last films from American International Pictures, produced by Lou Arkoff and Debra Hill. The director was Ralph Bakshi, who had made his name with "Fritz the Cat" and "Heavy Traffic". Some credit should be given for the casting, as both leads have now gone on to bigger things and most likely few people have ever seen or even heard of this picture (hardly a gem). What is most strange is the morality of the narrative. Cheating is not so much a bad thing in itself (according to this film), but bad when things turn violent with the competition. So, I guess, if married women choose better men to have affairs with, the whole thing is no big deal...

• Bakshi's only non-animated movie

  Woodyanders2013-05-21

  Fresh out of high school, Roslyn (an appealing performance by the luscious Alicia Silverstone) and Michael (a likable portrayal by Jared Leto) get married and have a baby, but aren't happy with each other. Things become worse when Roslyn's brash best gal pal Joanie (delightfully played with tart relish by Jennifer Blanc) encourages Roslyn to have an extramarital affair with bad boy Joey (smoothly essayed with cocksure cool by Matthew Flint). Writer/director Ralph Bakshi relates the engrossing story at a brisk pace, offers a flavorsome, yet unsentimental evocation of the 50's period setting, maintains a dark serious tone throughout, and vividly captures a strong mood of despair and restlessness. Moreover, Bakshi doesn't punk out with some kind of fake upbeat ending and does a masterful job with a sequence set on the beach in which Joey seduces Roslyn. Nice supporting contributions from Christine Harnos as sultry beatnik Lorraine, Tuesday Knight as the sassy Brenda, and John Hawkes as the raucous Crazy. Kudos are also in order for the spot-on golden oldies soundtrack and Roberto Schaeffer's vibrant color cinematography. Worth a watch.

• COOL AND THE CRAZY (DIDIER BECU)

  Didier-Becu2004-03-24

  One of the first movies that had Alicia Silverstone in it and it was certainly not the reason why I was watching, why should I care about one of the most overrated actresses ever? But it stuck me though that for once Madame Silverstone played a normal role (Completely fed up with her Beverly Hills-characters. The story itself couldn't be any simplier as after all it's about two young people who are married and who are facing up the useless relationshipproblems and if you add some 50's atmosphere in it (the Cadillacs, brillantine, smoothy jazzmusic) you quickly have some movie but it's just because of it's sober approach (even if that'd be more moneywise) "The cool and the crazy" is rather watchable. Mind you, you'll soon forget it but stay on the screen for 90 minutes nonetheless.