In 1983 director Alan Arkush directed a hilarious spoof of rock and roll excess and concert locations like the Fillmore (where he once worked) with a film called GET CRAZY. The problem was the company that released the film had no clue how to market it and dumped it with little fanfare pulling it before it had a chance to develop a following. According to Arkush the producers of the film were much like those in movie THE PRODUCERS; they felt they could dump the film and use it as a tax write off instead of having a hit.
The film found its way to pay cable, VHS and later disc and people began to discover it. So much so that they sought it out. Now Kino Lorber is releasing the film with a great package and solid extras so fans can get their wish. And those who’ve never seen the film should jump at the chance to do so.
The film takes place on December 31, 1982. The Saturn Theater is planning their annual New Year’s Eve bash and this one will be huge. Owner and operator Max Wolfe (Allen Garfield) has run the place since 1968 and he wants this gathering to be the best. To make sure it happens he’s bringing back all of the great acts from the past.
Among those acts are Captain Cloud and the Rainbow Telegraph (Cloud is played by Howard Kaylan of the Turtles and Flo & Eddie), King Blue the king of the blues (Bill Henderson), Nada and her 15 girl band lineup with special guest Piggy (Lori Eastside and Lee Ving who was part of punk band Fear), Reggie Wanker (Malcolm McDowell) a pop/glam rocker with roots in Stones style rock and lastly Auden (Lou Reed) a reclusive folk singer and rocker who has been plagued by writer’s block and not seen for years.
Helping Max run things is Neil Allen (Daniel Stern). He’s been there making things run smoothly for some time now. But there is a problem that they face tonight worse than anything in the past. Max has held a lease on the property for years. Now developer and shady promoter Colin Beverly (Ed Begley Jr.) wants to buy the property and tear it all down to build a skyscraper. As they argue Max has a heart attack and has to be rushed to the hospital. It’s up to Neil and former stage manager Willie Loman (Gail Edwards) to carry on. As they try to do so though Max’s conniving nephew Sammy (Miles Chapin) does his best to sabotage the show and either get his uncle’s signature on the deed or see to it he dies so he inherits the Saturn.
All of this is a setup for the shenanigans that take place that night, every one of which is laughter fueled. King Blue has lost his lead guitarist and his son (Franklin Ajaye) is now his driver and guitarist, neither of which we are sure he can handle. Captain Cloud and his group are a gathering of hippies left over from the 60s and tripping the whole time. Piggy is just a maniac on stage. Reggie is dealing with a loss of himself and knowing where he wants to go, amped up after he catches his girlfriend cheating on him after she discovers him with a group of naked women. And Auden is working through his new song as he travels throughout the city on his way to the gig.
The combination of sight gags (a giant joint is part of the crowd) to well written lines that inspire laughs make this movie a sort of AIRPLANE type film, that sort of humor that is over the top and not in the least bit subtle. Every single performance is perfect in this film and Arkush direction is absolutely what it needed to come to life. The worst thing about this movie is that it never had the audience it deserved.
If it weren’t enough that Kino Lorber is offering this film to fans who have been screaming for it they’ve gone the extra mile beginning with a brand new 2k master supervised by Arkush himself. But they didn’t stop there offering a lot of fantastic extras. Those include a new audio commentary track by Arkush, filmmaker Eli Roth and filmmaker/historian Daniel Kremer, “The After Party” a new 76 minute documentary that was forced to be shot via zoom due to the pandemic featuring Malcolm McDowell, Daniel Stern, Howard Kaylan, Stacy Nelkin, Gail Edwards, Lori Eastside and the Nada Band, Lee Ving, screenwriter Danny Opatoshu and other members of the cast and crew talking about the making of the film, World Premiere Video 1 GET CRAZY theme song performed by Sparks, World Premiere Video 2 NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE by Lori Eastside and the Nada Band from 1983, World Premiere Video 3 NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE by Lori Eastside and the Nada Band reunion made in 2021, “Trailers from Hell” with Alan Arkush, “Fan Fiction” punk podcaster NO DOGS IN SPACE create life stories and discographies for Reggie Wanker, Lori Eastside & the Nada Band and Piggy and the theatrical trailer.
I
managed a theater when this film came out and my memories of it were nothing
spectacular to be honest. I just remembered it being good. Watching it again
after all these years it is much better than I remembered and deserves to be
seen. This is a movie to watch and enjoy and then bring a group of friends over
to watch with you. Have a party. Grab some snack. And then GET CRAZY.
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