What is supposed to be a heartwarming comedy more closely emerges as derivative Capra-corn of the most obvious kind.
Crazy Like A Fox (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:9
Fresh:1
Rotten:8
Average Rating:5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: The sort of small, picturesque production that has become more and more scarce with the Hollywood-ization of independent film, CRAZY LIKE A FOX is goodhearted, family-friendly entertainment with a... The sort of small, picturesque production that has become more and more scarce with the Hollywood-ization of independent film, CRAZY LIKE A FOX is goodhearted, family-friendly entertainment with a distinctly Southern flavor. Veteran British actor Roger Rees is given ample opportunity to ham it up as Nat Banks, whose Virginia farm has been handed down through seven generations. After an accident involving his horses eating a large amount of corn, he finds himself in dire financial straits and must put the compound up for sale. Enter Will and Ellie Sherman, ruthless yuppie Northerners from Washington who buy the farm, promising they will not raze the decrepit antebellum mansion and will allow Nat to stay on as farm manager. When they unapologetically renege on the deal and announce their plans to build several new homes on the property, newly homeless Nat dons an old Confederate uniform and moves into a cave in the forest while the community plots a way to show the Shermans that a person's word carries great weight below the Mason-Dixon line. First-time director Richard Squires gives us beautiful Virginia scenery and an old-fashioned morality tale that enjoyably walks the line between screwball comedy and light drama. In a performance he appears to be relishing, Rees makes Nat sympathetic even when his actions border on the psychotic, and Mary McDonnell (DANCES WITH WOLVES) adds another soulful supporting role to her distinguished list of credits. Filmgoers looking for explosions and high-tech hijinks certainly aren't the audience for CRAZY LIKE A FOX, but those who yearn for the days when a small film could open gradually and do well based on positive word of mouth will find a quiet, appealing entertainment here. [More]
Starring: Roger Rees, Mary McDonnell, Christina Rouner, Robert Wisdom
Starring: Roger Rees, Mary McDonnell, Christina Rouner, Robert Wisdom, Mark Joy, Michael Goodwin
Director: Richard Squires
Director: Richard Squires
Screenwriter: Richard Squires
Producer: Bill Warrell, Patricia Foulkrod
Studio: Innovation Film Group
Reviews for Crazy Like A Fox
The rich characters are more the attraction than the plot. The main character is nor really in the right and that point is more controversial than intended.
Roger Rees abandons dignity though not his native English accent to play Nat Banks, the proud but impoverished owner of a decrepit Virginia farm.
Richard Squires' uneven filmmaking debut sets the hounds of progress on the heels of an old-fashioned Southern gentleman in the form of modern-day carpetbaggers.
Winning performances by Roger Rees and Mary McDonnell, as well as colorful Virginia locations, lift Crazy Like a Fox slightly above the TV-caliber script by its director, regional theater director Richard Squires.
Writer/director Richard Squires has an interesting story ... but he waters that story down with attempts to make Crazy Like A Fox into a slapstick, wacky comedy
The movie's take on Southern-versus-Northern values could hardly be more stacked or slanted...
Crazy Like a Fox is sure-fire stuff, guaranteed to generate good will and do no perceivable harm.
Squires doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination, uprooting the subtext Phil Morrison's Junebug kept richly underground.
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