Under the radar flick pick: "Still Crazy"

by Erik J. Martin


What do you get when you cross the moxie of “The Full Monty” with the charisma of “The Commitments”? Meet Strange Fruit, a 1970s British pop band that has reunited with the hopes of making a comeback.

Not quite a “This is Spinal Tap” for the ’90s, “Still Crazy” peels back the glossy layers of stardom to reveal the true natures of a ragtag group of aging rockers. It’s played by a stellar English cast that includes “The Crying Game’s” Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail and Juliet Aubrey.

Though it’s not a documentary, “Still Crazy,” guided capably by director Brian Gibson (“What’s Love Got to Do With It”) and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Franias (the team that wrote “The Commitments”), plays well as an entertaining mock rock-bio, much like “Velvet Goldmine” headed by Ewan McGregor.

If faux rock documentaries like the aforementioned are your cup of tea, consider also renting “The Rutles” (a ka “All You Need is Cash”), the irreverently hilarious Beatles spoof created by the Monty Python troupe.