About the film
- Directed by
- Allan Arkush
- Released
- August 5, 1983
- Certification
- R
- Country
- United States of America
- Starring
- Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, Miles Chapin
More credits
- Language
- English
- Origin
- US
- Studios
- D & P Productions, Embassy Pictures
- Written by
- Henry Rosenbaum, Danny Opatoshu, David Taylor
- Produced by
- Hunt Lowry, Herbert F. Solow
- Cinematography
- Thomas Del Ruth
- Music
- Michael Boddicker
- Also starring
- Ed Begley Jr., Stacey Nelkin, Bill Henderson, Lou Reed, Howard Kaylan
- Budget
- $5,500,000
- Box office
- $1,645,711
A rock star has locked himself in his hotel room, terrified of the stage, while a corporate shark schemes to bring the whole theater down before midnight. The band hasn't even shown up yet.
GET CRAZY (1983) is Allan Arkush's ode to the chaos of a single New Year's Eve concert. Max Wolfe runs the crumbling Saturn Theater, a small operation trying to survive against Colin Beverly, a rival promoter played by Ed Begley Jr. who wants the show sabotaged so his own arena spectacle can dominate the business.
Wolfe's staff, played by Daniel Stern and Gail Edwards, scramble through backstage disasters, drug mishaps, and wardrobe crises while trying to get the acts on stage and fall for each other along the way.
Arkush had worked as an editor and second-unit director for Roger Corman before this, and he fills the film with musicians instead of movie stars playing musicians. Lou Reed appears as a Dylan-esque folk hangover named Auden, and Malcolm McDowell plays Reggie Wanker, a Mick Jagger send-up losing his grip on his own legend.
It flopped in theaters, buried by the studio and largely ignored, but it has become a cult favorite among fans of backstage rock comedy, remembered for its manic energy and its affection for the music business it mocks.
How to see Get Crazy (1983)
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One of Jake’s favorite films!
Electric Larry !!!!
They used to play this every NYE
Frikkin Love this movie
Such a fun movie.
Also a appearance by Lee Ving of punk SF band Fear.
Piggy!
Michael Wholohan
Nada Nada Nada Nada !!!!! 👍
We watch it every NYE. Electric Larry’s got what you need.
Piggy!
And the greatest post-credit scene ever…
All I remember about this movie was that Malcolm McDowell was very funny. I wonder if Mick Jagger saw it and went on record as having any response to that sendup.
Great flick – love Lou and his end credits tune
Awesome movie!!!
Arkush also directed “Rock N Roll High School” with PJ Soles and the Ramones.
A great film in the Rock and Roll High School tradition. Huge thanks to Kino Lorber for producing an excellent blu ray edition with plenty of bonus content!
One of my favorites the giant joint and the water jug scene
This movie is hilarious
Lee Ving steals the movie…
Loved this movie
I LOVE that fucking movie. So many priceless moments…
One of my favorite movies! I notice something different every time I watch it! Even the sound effects are over the top! Fun Fact: Colin Beverly’s sycophants are played by Bobby Sherman and Fabian!
I’ve been looking for this movie forever! (I guess I should have just checked Lou Reed’s IMDB page since that was one of the few things I remember from the movie). The other thing I remember is the deep water on the floor in the bathroom with a shark fin swimming through it. So awesome. I have to find this movie and watch it again!!! CoolCoolCool!
Played on HBO on repeat for awhile… Enjoyed this movie as a kid!