BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

sir-mauri This is a documentary about the famous underground cartoonist, Robert Crumb, creator of characters such as Fritz the Cat. It is a very different type of documentary from the ones I usually come across. I enjoy watching docs about serial killers and murderers, to understand them a little better. This is not your typical documentary. It's about a very mundane, if not boring life of a man who enjoys spending his time observing people, drawing them and listening to classical music. The film shows him going to meet his brothers. They live very depressing lives, especially Charles Crumb, a man you can't help but feel sorry for. I explained in my review of Mary and Max (2009) that I hadn't seen was film that made me understand the topic of depression better than it. Well, this film is, perhaps, a better case study on the effects of depression on people than the other movie ever was, since this is all real. 'Crumb' is also about the man's relationships with other women, why it didn't work out, why it did, what he thinks of women, what his ideologies are on the topic of romance, all interestingly said by an interesting man who was sadly gifted with a dull life. Is it as monotonous as I'm building it up to be though? This is the part the film delves into the most: Crumb, the magnificent artist. What he really is. The way he describes things, I could listen to for days. What makes an artist? What influences their work? Underground art was revolutionized by Robert Crumb. His work portrayed sexual and surreal themes in a dark, comedic way. I guess the documentary tried to tell me how he got such a mindset, to create all that he did: his walk of life (imo)- the things only he saw, the things only he knows of. This is why makes an artist. This is what made Crumb. Amazing thought provoking documentary.

billcr12 Robert Crumb came out of the 1960s as the leading underground comic book artist. Sexually explicit material, usually with women drawn with huge buttocks were his signature. Album covers, including Janis Joplin's Big Brother and the Holding Company being the most well known, show a real and unique artist at work.Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff brings his camera into the Crumb family home; can you say dysfunctional? ? The word is not strong enough to describe this modern day Adam's Family. Robert's brother Charles looks like Lerch and despite his agoraphobia is also a creative genius. The Crumb's interactions are a train wreck in the making that you can't take your eyes off of. The brothers are both certifiably insane and yet hugely talented. Crumb is one of the best documentary's ever made.

gavin6942 A cinematic portrait of the controversial comic book writer/artist and his traumatized family.Crumb is the perfect subject matter for Terry Zwigoff, who is best known for "Ghost World", an adaptation of a graphic novel. Zwigoff clearly has an interest in independent comics and knows how to present them in a way that makes them interesting and accessible to people. Some of "Ghost World"'s biggest fans have never read a comic book, and I suspect one need not know who Crumb is to appreciate this documentary.His brother Charles lives in a "cloistered environment" of books, which is an interesting sight... he speaks of not yet having read Kant or Hegel, but you can see nearby a copy of a Buddhist book, suggesting that such things may not be beyond his range of interests. What Charles does now is unclear. Presumably nothing. And the other brother, Maxon, is even more bizarre.The constant cynicism is a welcome perspective. He seems happy, but Crumb constantly talks disparagingly of things. His attitude is interesting, and sometimes he suggests a Luddite viewpoint. He also, despite needing money, turned down Saturday Night Live and the Rolling Stones... running from fame.A gallery owner calls him the "Daumier of our time" and the Time art critic says he is the Brueghel for the second half of the 20th century. I suppose being compared to classic art is a compliment, though the fact they are such obscure names may not be complimentary at all... I do not know Daumier or Brueghel's work, so I cannot even say if I like it! If Crumb is not weird enough, just wait until they invite him behind the scenes at a pornographic "Leg Show" photo shoot.

PaulyC Here is a well done documentary of a very strange man named Robert Crumb who rose to fame as a cartoonist. His comics are off-beat, sometimes racist and almost always degrading to women. There is no disputing any of this from even Robert Crumb himself. Crumb just claims that all this stuff is inside him and needs to come out through his pencil. I actually admire this kind of truthful approach. Filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Federico Fellini come to mind as two others who put a lot of themselves in their work, although they do it on film and not paper. Robert Crumb became popular in the 60's for his psychedelic comics of the time including ZAP comics, one of his most popular. He has two brothers, Charles and Maxon who can also draw well but have had no real success with it. It's hard to believe but seeing these two brothers makes you actually realize that Robert was the "normal" one in the family! Definitely a scary thought. Has success gone to Robert's head? The answer is no. He consistently turns down offers from Hollywood that would make him very rich. Although I admire things about him, I found him kind of a jerk from how he treated other people. One instance is when someone says they love his work and would like an autograph and Crumb wouldn't even look at him and basically just let out his usual defensive laugh. What is curious though is that his wife, son and daughter seem almost well adjusted. Interesting. This movie is an interesting look into a strange artists life which delves into his tough upbringing to see just where all his twisted ideas come from. The DVD itself comes with a commentary by Roger Ebert and other goodies. Good Stuff!