Crumb (1995)

John McCain should option this for commercials

He could show random chunks and then say:

"Obama's supporters thinks R. Crumb is a genius"

Admit it -- you all support Obama, right?

I suggest he use part where the brother talks about sexually assaulting a Jew in a drugstore, while R. laughs and laughs. Then cut to R using all his 'underground art' money to move to France where they 'understand him'.

Wankers.

This movie makes me want to bring back eugenics and [comic] book burning September 11, 2008

More could have been done

Upon rewatching the film, the first thing that stands out about it is how poorly it has held up as a filmic `portrait of an artist'. In the intervening years, documentaries such as The Kid Stays In The Picture, American Splendor, and Mayor Of The Sunset Strip have used narrative and filmic techniques that make Crumb seem downright quaint and formulaic, by comparison. From the technique of highlighting the bizarre and uninteresting people that inhabit mumbling cartoonist Robert Crumb's life, to having statically placed talking head experts- such as Femininazi journalist Peggy Orenstein and Deirdre English, a former editor of Mother Jones magazine, who decry Crumb's alleged misogyny and racism, to egghead elitists like Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes who ridiculously masturbate over the most inane and puerile of Crumb's work, to ending the film with a text-laden write-up of what happened after the cameras stopped rolling, Crumb seems to be a relic from another age; which is ironic since many in the film seem to already- by then, associate him with the bygone psychedelia of the 1960s. But that's what it is- a pre-Internet ideal of the classic Junior High School approach to its subject matter. Its only deviance from formula is the deviance of its subject.... The actual film is not bad, merely adequate, which given its hype, is quite disappointing. In rewatching the film, too, there just seemed to be many moments where things were staged for effect, such as when Crumb is confronted in a coffee shop by a young female who objects to his work, and weakly defends himself by stating, `not everything is for everyone,' or when Orenstein and English pontificate against Crumb, only demonstrating their stolidity, while Hughes bloviates in his defense over minutia that Crumb does not even buy.
That anyone with an intellect can take such lowbrow and transitory work with such seriousness says far more about the decline in art and critical thought than anything satirical or lampooning from Crumb's pen. Robert Crumb may be a great comic book illustrator, but he is not a great artist, for technically his work never rises to a visual sense that moves nor provokes the deepest and highest ideas and ideals, and there is no profound message, nor joy, to his work. In short, it and this film are not nearly as great as its hagiographers claim- which seems about right, for that is just like the man himself.
September 10, 2008

AMERICAS FINEST LIVING CARTOONIST

i LIKED THE MOVIE AND FOUND IT VERY PRIVATE very personal very low budget!
A friend called it the 'worst movie he ever saw'...after all it wasnt hollywood!
Someone said that CRUMB was picked on alot and he could relate to that.
Since the movie was made Crumbs disappeared to France. August 27, 2008

A Life in Ink and Paper

Roughly ten years or so ago I attempted to delve into the world of independent comics. Having most of my comic reading consisting of superhero titles and manga, American independent comics were quite an eye-opener for me and I soon found myself delving into the worlds of Daniel Clowes, Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, and Adrian Tomine. One of the artists I came across was R. Crumb, a skinny, myopic man whose libido is splashed all over his comics in the forms of large breasted big butted women who often have the heads of beasts. Being that R. Crumb is considered the founding father of 1960s independent/alternative comics; I thought that Terry Zwigoff's documentary film simply titled Crumb would be the perfect place to start.

Not appearing on camera and his voice a quiet hush while interviewing Crumb and his family, Zwigoff leaves most of the film to the thoughts and ramblings of R. Crumb, a physically frail man whose love of drawing, and love of LSD, led him to fame during the 1960s with such creations as Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. However, while the segments with Crumb, his wife, and exes are quite interesting, the most interesting parts of the two hour long documentary consist of interviews with Crumb and his older brother Charles and his younger brother Max. Along with two sisters, the trio of boys was the children of a pill popping depressed housewife and a domineering ex-marine father whose distaste for his wimpy sons often led to bouts of physical violence. Led by Charles, the Crumb children began to write, draw, and sell comics. However, unlike Robert, Charles was unable to use his talents to escape his home and became a recluse whose only joys seem to consist of taking anti-depressants and reading old novels. Max, a gifted painter, was able to escape but only to a life of poverty. These interviews with Crumb's family members give the viewer a depiction of how Crumb's traumas, neuroses, and bizarre fetishes helped him create some of the most influential comic art in the past half century.

The documentary consists of little more than interviews and shots of Crumb's work, but through these interviews the viewer learns in detail of Crumb's quite pessimistic view of capitalist America and why he rejected numerous opportunities to become very rich. Funny, depressing, and educational, Zwigoff's film makes a fine addition to the library of not only independent comic fans, but fans of fine documentary filmmaking as well. August 17, 2008

Quite Excellent

R Crumb himself is a very complex character, and the filmmaker did a fantastic job of capturing all sides of him, and the controversies of his comics.

Just for a little bit of perspective, I've never read any of his writings. All I know is what the movie told me. I'm guessing that makes me unusual, because all his fans surely rushed out to watch this.

I also think it's great.

And hey hey hey, what a dysfunctional weird family. I don't want to say more because that would fall into the "telling you what to think" category, which both the movie and its subject avoid.

I'm impressed!
June 12, 2008

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