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Review by Susan Granger
2 stars out of 4
Before he came to the United States. Antonio Banderas was a
star in Pedro Almodovar's sex comedies in Spain. So it's not
surprising that Banderas's first directorial effort reflects
Amodovar's style of directing, beginning with the opening credits
which are similar to "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and
"Dark Habits," and continuing with an amalgam of wacky whimsy and
genuine emotion throughout the narrative. Written by Mark Childress,
the film attempts to interweave two stories, set in 1965. One
chronicles the Civil Rights awakening of a young Southern boy called
Peejoe (Lucas Black), who lives in a funeral home with his mortician
uncle, and the second revolves around his zany, flamboyant Aunt
Lucille (Melanie Griffith, Banderas's real-life wife). As the tale
begins, Aunt Lucille decapitates her abusive husband, puts his head in
a hatbox, and sets off to pursue her dream of a show biz career in
Hollywood - just as Peejoe sees the sheriff (Meat Loaf Aday) kill a
black boy during a protest at a segregated municipal swimming
pool. Will Peejoe tell the truth to the authorities - or cover up the
crime? That's his moral dilemma. And will Lucille be convicted of
murder? All the various story elements come together in a big
court-room finale, dominated by the gavel of an eccentric judge (Rod
Steiger). The problem is that the shrill, farcical humor of Aunt
Lucille distracts from the intimate drama of the teenager's coming to
terms with bigotry and racial prejudice in his own hometown. And one
simply cannot ignore Melanie Griffith's incongruous jet-black wig and
scarlet, collagen-infused lips. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10,
"Crazy in Alabama" is a fanciful if uneven 5, offering a few lively
moments of clever insight.
Copyright © 1999 Susan Granger
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