How to make a Strange Fruit salad! (Still Crazy (DVD))

Member Name: Judgee

Product:	Still Crazy (DVD)
Date:	11/04/03 (256 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: comedy, music

Disadvantages: possibly predictable

My apologies to anyone who is looking for ideas on what to eat. Strange fruit salad consists of many things, none of them edible and all very easy on the waist line! I knew I would like this film from the start. Scripted by the kings of British comedy writing, Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement who were responsible for such classics as The Likely Lads (1976), Porridge (1979) and of course three fantastic series of Auf weidersehen Pet. This was a good, basic ingredient, But what else makes a good Strange fruit salad? Throw in a few actors of worthy note, Timothy Spall, Stephen Rea and Bill Nighy. Add a dash of comical genius in the form of Billy Connolly and add just a hint of musical talent in the form of Jimmy Nail. Stir with a cup full of nostalgia and there you have it, a fictional rock band that never was but could have been and cracking British movie to boot!


~~The Story~~


Wisbech rock festival, some time in the seventies. The air is electric with anticipation as Strange fruit prepare to go on stage. Could they be the next best thing to hit the music scene? Despite all the troubles that tend to follow the wannabe rock stars, they enter the open-air arena and prepare to play. But the Gods are not with them, as a storm brews over head, a lightning bolt strikes the stage, blowing up the electrical equipment and causing a premature end to the nights performance. This is the final straw for the band, losing all hope they split up and head their separate ways, all wondering about what might have been.


Moving ahead to the late nineties and we find the group, all struggling in their own ways:

Tony Costello the bands keyboard player runs the condom concession for the whole of the Balearics. But the Brits have stopped going there and his business is struggling.

Les Wicks the Bass player runs a fairly successful roofing business and has settled down to a family life. But he still yearns for the good old days, as fi
nds every day life a bit mundane.

'Beano' Baggot the drummer has moved back home with his mother after a messy and expensive divorce. Never one to grow up, he takes each day as it comes, dodging debtors on a regular basis.

Ray Sims the lead singer was the only member of the band who remained in the music business. But his solo career is failing and his attractive wife with expensive tastes puts a strain on his finances, to the point of bankruptcy.

Brian Lovell the bands lead guitarist has disappeared altogether?


Purely by chance, Tony bumps into Steve Greenblack. Steve is the son of the Original Wisbech rock festival promoter and he is planning a reunion. Would Strange fruit be interested in playing again? Tony sets about tracking down the rest of the gang, assisted by their biggest fan Karen Knowles. Karen had a 'thing' about Brian, the bands lead guitarist.


Could Karen's enthusiasm bring together the ageing rock stars and give them one more chance for fame? I'm not going to tell you, you will just have to rent the film out!


~~Performances~~


Stephen Rea who plays Tony Costello, is a familiar face. The Crying Game, Michael Collins and a long list of credits to his name. He shows his experience and comes across well as the long suffering keyboard player who usually ends up, stuck in the middle of all the bands arguments.

Jimmy Nail is pretty unconvincing as Les Wicks, the Bass guitarist with a chip on his shoulder. But this doesn't matter. He is still very watchable. Acting has never been one of Mr Nails strengths as far as I'm concerned. You can shout about Evita as much as you like! What he does add is some credibility to the music aspect to this film, with his unique voice.

Timothy Spall plays Beano and he plays him well. He'll go down in history as the dippy Barry in Auf Weidersehen pet, but his acting talents stretch far and
wide. Familiar with both comedy and drama roles, I have yet to see him perform badly in anything and I challenge you to prove me wrong!

Bill Nighy plays Ray Sims, the lead singer. What can I say, star performance by far! I have to admit that I know very little about this actor. I first noticed him in a guest appearance as the 'love interest' Iain in the television sitcom 'Kiss me kate'. Next time I saw him was in 'Auf Weidersehen pet 3' as Jeffrey Grainger, the man you loved to hate. I find myself watching his every move in this film. Every word, every expression is faultess and hilarious. If you watch this film for no other reason, watch it for for him!

Juliet Aubrey plays Karen, the obsessed fan. Not a bad performance, not a good performance. Believable yes, but only just!

Billy Connolly plays Hughie, the groups ageing roadie. What can I say, Billy Connolly plays Billy Connolly! Hughie in character name only, this part requires nothing from the man other than to be himself. He narrates parts of the film also and helps it all to gel together nicely.

Hans Matheson joins the group as Luke Shand the new lead guitarist. Brought into the band due to Brians absence. He fits in well, but remains a minor character throughout the film.


~~Comedy~~


There are two main aspects to this film, the music and the comedy. The comedy mainly comes from the writers observations on people. Over the years they have developed a knack of putting characters on the screen that seem so real and yet so funny. Every line is perfect and superbly executed by the actors. Again I have to emphasise, watch Bill Nighy, every twitch and frown is hilarious. Watch out for Astrid his wife in the film to, she spurts off obscenities in Dutch I think? You don?t need to know the language to get the drift of what she is saying and it's soooo funny!


~~Music~~

Well this is an area in which I could wr
ite about in depth, but I'll try to keep it brief. Obviously a film about a rock band is only plausible if the music is up to scratch. In this case it is superb. From the ballad 'What might have been' to what could be considered the film anthem 'The Flame still burns' They are all credible songs. The one thing I didn't like about the music is that at times it seemed to be used as a Jimmy Nail vehicle. What do I mean? Well there are times in the film when you think, why did they throw that bit in there. Considering that Mr nails character is not the lead singer, he does seem to have more than his fair share of songs. Still, I can forgive them, as they are still good songs, and even Billy Connolly gets a chance to sing!

There is a soundtrack available, I have it and I would recommend it, but I'm not going to review it here!



~~Things to look out for~~

Brief appearance by Donna Air mumbling the worse fake accent in film history. I can't work out if it was supposed to be Dutch, Chinese or Irish?

Brief appearance by Mackenzie Crook who went on to star in the comedy series 'The Office' as a seedy drug dealer, he really looked the part!

Slightly longer appearance by Bruce Robinson, the writer/director of 'Withnail and I'


~~Overall Thoughts~~

Classic British comedy from a well establish writing duo, performed by a great cast of varying strengths and abilities that work well together as a whole. I have read that some people think this film is a bit predictable? I have to confess that I did see a lot of it coming, but don't let that put you off. I have watched this film on numerous occasions and it just gets better. Every time I see it I spot something new. Is it unique? In a way yes, the only films that I could compare this to are 'This is Spinal Tap' the rockumentary type movie. But it's similarities are very few, basically they are b
oth about Rock bands and both very funny! The other comparison might be 'The Commitments' but again, the similarities are minimal, they are both about bands!

This would make a good addition to anyones film collection. By all means rent it out, but you may find yourself buying it in the end!


Rated 15
Running time 92 minutes



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