Crazylove (2005)

Too much of everything

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

I'll start by saying its refreshing to see a movie that does not make crass and/or absurdist humour about the subject of mental illness (just take a look at any movie that portrays TOURETTES syndrome and you will understand what i mean. Tourettes is a debilitating illness, not just the occasional yelled obscenity littering your conversations. But anyway, onto the movie at hand.Crazy Love is about a woman who suffers a nervous breakdown and is institutionalised. While in the ward she meets a schizophrenic man and they begin a relationship. If you're reading this you've seen the movie so I won't go into any more detail.Many comments complain this film does not accurately portray the mental illnesses it depicts. Uh huh, that's without a doubt true but that's NOT the POINT of the film!!! If you want realism go and borrow mental illness information DVDs from your doctor! And so what if it's "glossed over"? The last thing you need if you are feeling depressed is a film that will make you feel worse.It was a film done on the cheap and by fairly inexperienced film-makers, so cut them some slack. Reiko Aylesworth is awesome in the main role. I'd never watched 24, so i was pleasantly surprised to find a new actress to be a fan of. Furthermore she's not too hard to look at either! The scene in the supermarket with the jars of olives...totally believable and I really felt for her.It does indeed have it's fair share of cheesy moments and romantic-drama clichés, but get over them. It does away with a cheap-shot ending and left me going "huh...that actually was a REALLY GOOD movie!"

I have a thing for stories with a twist. Be it about fantastic or mysterious stories or just forces of coincidences that rule the lives of everyday people as in this particular movie. In most movies, twists are what make them interesting. 'Crazylove', on the other hand, is a straight-forward movie about a twist.Life and love are very similar in nature - you never know what you're going to get. The best thing that ever happened to you could trigger a catastrophe yet out of the ashes, a phoenix could rise and that is the dualistic world we live in, yet can't ever seem to accept or get used to.Crazylove presents a perfectly plausible scenario. Indeed you could find the screenplay and acting a bit lacking but you're not going to catch this movie anyway if you're not after the twist that Crazylove is.Not a cinematographic masterpiece but an alternative to your everyday Drama/Romance flick. A well earned 7/10

I'll have to admit, I had my doubts about this movie when I first read the teasers, but tuned in to it's broadcast on Lifetime Television. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. From the get go, the story took hold of me and at the end had me wishing for more.Reiko Aylesworth does as incredible job as Letty (Leticia) Mayer, a young, beautiful teacher who has the world at her fingertips. Or so it seems. As the story moves on, you quickly see that Letty's life isn't the bed of roses that it seems. Through the progression of the story, we go with Letty as she re-learns to live her life to the fullest and develops a real joy in everyday living that makes you smile as your watching. Bruno Campos plays Michael perfectly, charming, funny and just the type of man you'd want to sweep you off your feet. Almost....The transformation of not only Letty's life, but her closest family members is truly believable.The stellar supporting cast that includes JoBeth Williams and Marla Sokoloff as Letty's Mother and sister, Meatloaf, K Callan, and Paul Schulze as some of Letty's ward mates create such a believable atmosphere.But the spotlight definitely belongs to Reiko Aylesworth. She simply SHINES in this story. Even if you weren't a fan of hers before seeing this movie, you will be afterwords. This movie is definitely a must not miss. I can't wait for it to be released on DVD.

At first I thought they were cheating by portraying Michael as so normal and charming and interesting, but eventually I realized that was the most heartbreaking thing about his illness, how truly sweet and loving he could be, as long as he took his meds, and how easy it is to discount people's warnings about the price you pay for ignoring the seriousness of someone's mental illness. We would all like to believe that "love conquers all," but there are some things that love alone cannot overcome. This is a movie that portrays the delights and ecstasy of love... and yet is fair enough to also portray the limitations of love to overcome extreme behavior.