Crazy/Beautiful (2001)

Director:

John Stockwell

Writers (WGA):

Phil Hay (written by) &
Matt Manfredi (written by)

Release Date:

29 June 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

When it's real. When it's right. Don't let anything stand in your way.

Plot:

At Pacific Palisades High, a poor Latino falls hard for a troubled girl from the affluent neighborhood.

Plot Keywords:

School | High School | Latino | Pacific Palisades | Congressman

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Kirsten Dunst	...	Nicole Oakley
Jay Hernandez	...	Carlos Nuñez
Bruce Davison	...	Tom Oakley
Herman Osorio	...	Luis
Miguel Castro	...	Eddie
Tommy De La Cruz	...	Victor
Rolando Molina	...	Hector
Soledad St. Hilaire	...	Mrs. Nunez
Lucinda Jenney	...	Courtney Oakley
Taryn Manning	...	Maddy
Richard Steinmetz	...	Coach Bauer
Ana Argueta	...	Rosa
Neil Looy	...	Jimmy - The Pilot
Marion Moseley	...	Morgan Oakley
Mike Jones	...	Dr. Linehan

Also Known As:

About 17 (USA) (working title)
At 17 (USA) (working title)
At Seventeen (USA) (working title)
Hermosa locura (Argentina) (Peru) [es]
Çilgin/Güzel (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Amor loco, amor prohibido (Spain) [es]
Amor loco/Amor prohibido (Spain) [es]
Crazy/Beautiful (Denmark) [da]
Folle/Magnifique (Canada: French title) [fr]
Gostosa Loucura (Brazil) [pt]
Omorfi/Trela (Greece) [el]
Sexy/Crazy (France) [fr]
Verrückt/Schön - Crazy/Beautiful (Germany) [de]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving teens, drug/alcohol content, sexuality & language.

Runtime:

99 min | USA:135 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #38176) (edited for re-rating) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:18SX | South Korea:15 | USA:R (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

'Jay Hernandez' had to learn many of his Spanish lines phonetically because he does not speak fluent Spanish.

Goofs:

Continuity: The blue plastic bottle is in a different position on the ground when the teacher picks it up.

Quotes:

Carlos: You're crazy...
Nicole: ...and you're beautiful.

Movie Connections:

References Mad Love (1995)

Soundtrack:

F**K Me

Much like The Karate Kid caught a lot of people off-guard by its charm, likeability, and believability -- not the action aspect so much as the romance between Ralph Macchio and Elisabeth Shue -- crazy/beauti

The reason would be the two leads, Kirsten Dunst (Interview with the Vampire, Bring It On) and Jay Hernandez (only having done a handful of TV and small movie work). What looks like the set-up of a cliché-filled storyline on the outside -- high-schoolers Dunst as the troubled daughter of a U.S. Senator, and Hernandez as the intelligent inner-city kid meet up and fall in love -- takes on a fresh twist (and "fresh" is a good thing -- especially in film today). With the dialogue seeming mostly improvisational, the romance is impressively convincing. Dunst is already familiar to film audiences -- making great strides at a very young age with Vampire -- but this could arguably be her finest turn. You do feel something for her character, as screwed up as she can be. But even "screwed up" people need love, too, and you do want her to succeed. And good performances apparently rubbed off on Hernandez as well, giving sensational insight into a conflicted character torn between duty to family and education versus his love for Dunst. The story does take a turn for the... well... crazy near the end but recovers nicely -- and without being too preachy or schmaltzy. Don't expect greatness, but don't be shocked if you like it.