Twenty years ago, 70s phenomenon, Strange Fruit, were at the height of rock and roll. But they managed to bollocks it all up and broke up with much bitterness. Now, they’re two decades older and ready to rock, so they decide to get the back together, go on tour, and finish with a sold-out festival concert. But the ghosts of their past are never far behind them and whilst on tour, old angers and feuds are unearthed again, threatening to bollocks it all up a second time.
This has to be one of the greatest rock and roll comedies ever made. It’s simple, packed with great original songs, has memorable characters, and harbours a great balance of comedy, drama, and romance. Whenever I watch this movie, I find myself laughing and tearing up at the same time.
Twenty years ago, 70s phenomenon, Strange Fruit, were at the height of rock and roll. But they managed to bollocks it all up and broke up with much bitterness. Now, they’re two decades older and ready to rock, so they decide to get the band back together, go on tour, and finish with a sold-out festival concert. But the ghosts of their past are never far behind them and whilst on tour, old angers and feuds are unearthed again, threatening to bollocks it all up a second time.
The story of a band reforming is one that has been done time and time again, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen a rock music film quite like this one.
The real meat of the story is not in getting the band back together or the shows that they do, it’s in the personal histories and stories of the central characters. On the surface, they are quite the stereotypical rock band: you’ve got the glamorous lead singer lapping up the attention, then there’s the quiet, dark, and brooding bass player, we’ve got the keyboard player who tries to make peace with everyone, and then a new charismatic and flamboyant guitarist. But underneath these stereotypical surfaces, the ghosts of the band’s past torment each character. All this is really great because it gives you an insight into the dramas that go on behind closed doors in the world of rock and roll. The band of Strange Fruit is not a mockery of any band 70s band in particular, but really a montage of that music scene and I think it’s really great for audiences to see that, even though bands seem to get along onstage and in interviews, behind closed doors, they could really have some major beefs with one another. Shattering an illusion is what it is; that does sound harsh but it’s something that needs to be done.
Featuring memorable performances from Bill Nighy (who your heart bleeds for in this movie), Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, Juliet Aubrey, Helena Bergstrom, Bruce Gibson, and Billy Connolly (who provided most of the comic relief along with Spall), Still Crazy is a wonderful film that’s perfect for a night in. Filled with comedy, romance, rock and roll, drama, and classic original tracks such as All Over the World and The Flame Still Burns, it really is a beautiful film, one that I absolutely adore!
The last tour I did was ten years ago with Aerosmith, but they've cleaned up their act. It's all wheatgrass juice and fucking pumpkins seeds!
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