Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

willwoodmill Crumb is documentary about the famous and controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb. The film was directed by Terry Zwigoff. Crumb is the second film directed by Zwigoff, the first being a documentary about Howard Louie Blue released in 1985. Zwigoff knew Robert Crumb before making the film, and had even played in Crumb's string band, but even with his close connections to Crumb it took a lot of convincing to let Zwigoff make the film. And the film itself was also very difficult to make, it took nine years to make on a a budget of roughly $200 per month. Zwigoff also said that he "slept with a loaded gun the pillow next to me trying to get up the nerve to kill myself." But Zwigoff's hard work paid of, because Crumb is a masterpiece.Robert Crumb is a cartoonist most known for his famous "keep on trucking" drawing, and his Fritz the Cat cartoon. Crumb is the ideal anti-celebrity. He turned down the offer to trademark and market the "keep on trucking" drawing several times, he also distanced himself with the Fritz the Cat animated film, and also refused to join any major magazines or comics. Mostly staying in small independent comics like Zap! For his life. And Crumb's counter culture attitude was perfectly represented in his art. His comics were typically crude, vulgar, depraved, and shocking. The film follows the career of Robert Crumb, how he started as a no-name cartoonist, who eventually got his disgusting comics hung in art galleries across the country. But the film doesn't just show us the history of Crumb's art. Zwigoff and Crumb go out and interview Crumb's family and we learn why Crumb is the way he is, delving deep into his psyche. To say that the art of Robert Crumb is "shocking" is a massive understatement. No matter how used to taboo's you think you are, it's hard not to feel repulsed by Crumb's art. Believe me I am not exaggerating when I say that much of it is sexist, racist, and overall just down right inhumane, and that may be enough to turn some people off. Several people that interviewed throughout the film are completely disgusted by Crumb's comics, and other find a strange sense of empowerment through his work. While most directors handling a documentary would just show a history of Crumb and his work, Zwigoff takes it to the next level by analyzing that art. In the very first seen of the film Zwigoff asks Crumb what the point of his work is, and Crumb says he doesn't really know what the point is, he just sort of figures it out as he goes along. So the film takes it upon itself to discover the purpose in Crumb's art, and it does this be interviewing Crumb's family, and this is where the film reaches its brilliance. The sections where they interview Robert Crumb's brothers, Charlie and Max, are some of the most depressing scenes in any film ever. We learn about how they mistreated and bullied each other and how their alcoholic father abused them, how Robert was rejected by the girls in his school, and how Charlie sexual fantasies never devolved past Bobby Driscoll from treasure island. Yes there is something truly saddening about these scenes, and the locations in which they're shot only add to this feeling. The crappy apartments that haven't been cleaned in weeks, with endless books covering the floors and walls, and the windows are covered with torn curtains. Robert and his brother Max, who became a painter, where able to escape this terrible fate through their art. But unfortunately Charlie was not able, and his horrible childhood ending up ruining his whole life.Crumb is not like most documentaries about artists, it doesn't just provide a history of Crumb's life and work, but instead the film seeks to really get at the heart of Crumb, what his art is, and why it is the way it is. Crumb did alright at the box office, but was a critical darling. But even with nearly every single review giving it a perfect rating, it still wasn't nominated for best documentary by the academy awards. (Ironically Hoop Dreams, another fantastic documentary that came out that same year wasn't nominated either.) But even with its snub, it still has gone down in history as one of the greatest documentaries ever, and was added to Roger Ebert's Great Movies in 2005. Crumb truly is not only one of the greatest documentaries ever, but one of the best films ever.

Gregg Di Lorenzo Primarily: You are in the presence of a master creating and displaying his art, and throughout these portions of the film any kind of artist will find much to learn from this man. The comparison made that he is the "modern" Dürer is very apt.Secondarily: You are watching one the most humorous and (blackly) entertaining films ever produced anywhere. Yes, we are reassured once again that an (the) artists' personality(ies) cannot never be confused with or substituted for the work they have give us; the strongest humor comes from the aon-old maxim the truth is stranger than fiction...p.s. One last thing - had seen this piece over a decade ago, but a recent review of Crumb's 2009 outstanding "Genesis" work led back here and there to review. If you haven't read it yet do it tonight/day!

michael_the_nermal Warning! Spoilers ahead! This movie succeeds largely because the documentarian does not inject his bias into the story, nor does he push any sort of agenda. He lets his subjects give their side of the story. He listens to both sides of the argument, whether they approve of what Robert Crumb has done as an artist, or whether he is nothing more than a bizarre pornographer. In all, the neutrality of the movie-maker is this film's best selling point, and I highly recommend this film as one that doesn't beat you over the head with its opinion or message; it lets the subjects do the talking.On the topic of semi-famous underground cartoonist Robert Crumb and his family, the film leaves one with an uneasy feeling at best. Charles, Robert's brother, and his mother reminded me of the recent HBO "Grey Gardens" movie, which itself was based on a documentary. If Robert Crumb can be perceived by some as a stark eccentric who cannot fit in to modern society, at least he has been able to create a stable home life with a loving family of his own. This movie is utterly tragic in its portrayal of Crumb's brothers, Charles and Maxon, especially so since Charles is gifted with exceptional cartooning skills (his artwork looked superior to Robert's best efforts), yet was cursed with severe psychiatric problems which prevented him from entering society as a functional individual. While Robert is a functional member of society, the overall impression the movie gave was that he was somewhat distant from other people, including his kin, and could not pick up easily on the feelings of others. The most poignant example of this was a brief (maybe one minute?) description of his father by Crumb's son from his first wife. Still, it was delightful to see Crumb nurture his children by helping them do artwork of their own.On the surface, Crumb may seem like a unique if peculiar individual: snobbish, detached from the outside world, relishing in dressing in anachronistic clothing and listening to old jazz records. Still, the impression was of a kind-hearted individual who found release through art. I did enjoy the movie's inclusion of those who objected to Crumb's art as blatantly pornographic, though my sense is that Crumb's work does not have the mainstream popularity which would make it troubling to society at large, nor the messages in his illustrations singularly sexual, to classify it as straightforwardly pornographic.A solid effort. I highly recommend this film to those who love documentaries.

PaulyC Here is a well done documentary of a very strange man named Robert Crumb who rose to fame as a cartoonist. His comics are off-beat, sometimes racist and almost always degrading to women. There is no disputing any of this from even Robert Crumb himself. Crumb just claims that all this stuff is inside him and needs to come out through his pencil. I actually admire this kind of truthful approach. Filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Federico Fellini come to mind as two others who put a lot of themselves in their work, although they do it on film and not paper. Robert Crumb became popular in the 60's for his psychedelic comics of the time including ZAP comics, one of his most popular. He has two brothers, Charles and Maxon who can also draw well but have had no real success with it. It's hard to believe but seeing these two brothers makes you actually realize that Robert was the "normal" one in the family! Definitely a scary thought. Has success gone to Robert's head? The answer is no. He consistently turns down offers from Hollywood that would make him very rich. Although I admire things about him, I found him kind of a jerk from how he treated other people. One instance is when someone says they love his work and would like an autograph and Crumb wouldn't even look at him and basically just let out his usual defensive laugh. What is curious though is that his wife, son and daughter seem almost well adjusted. Interesting. This movie is an interesting look into a strange artists life which delves into his tough upbringing to see just where all his twisted ideas come from. The DVD itself comes with a commentary by Roger Ebert and other goodies. Good Stuff!