Melanie Griffith Movie:

Editorial Review:
It's clear why Melanie Griffith saw Mark Childress's bestselling book, Crazy in Alabama, as the perfect vehicle for herself. The role of Lucille, a beautiful, battered wife in rural Alabama who dreams of glamorous movie stardom, is tailor-made for her. Griffith's husband, Antonio Banderas, has done quite a respectable job guiding her in this, his directorial debut; her performance--compelling, funny, and warm--is her best since Something Wild. (She also looks simply smashing.)

Otherwise, the film is a curious amalgam of genres: an antic, surreal Southern Gothic comedy combined with a deadly serious civil rights parable. As the movie opens, in the summer of 1965, Lucille (Griffith) has just murdered her abusive husband and is blowing town for Hollywood with his head in a Tupperware container. Scenes of her wacky cross-country road trip are interspersed with incidents back in Alabama involving clashes between protesting blacks and murderously intolerant whites. One can't imagine how these two seemingly disparate narrative lines will come together, but they do, in a surprisingly effective manner. The moral of both stories turns out to be: "You can bury freedom, but you can't kill it." Stand-out performances by Robert Wagner, as Lucille's Hollywood agent; Rod Steiger, as a quirky Southern judge; Meat Loaf, as a brutal, bigoted Southern sheriff; and Lucas Black (Sling Blade) as Lucille's highly principled young nephew, give the film an additional boost. --Laura Mirsky

Crazy in Alabama [Region 2] Reviews:
Fun escape
2009-08-03 - This movie truly is a fun escape even though there are some serious sub-plots (racism, domestic violence, etc). You will truly root for Lucille to win and expect laughter and tears on this journey. Great movie!

Poignant, unbearably sad, and hysterical at the same time
2009-06-28 - I love this movie. I own it and have watched it several times--and each time I do, I glean something new from the story and the terrific dialog. Melanie Griffith is superb, and the entire cast couldn't be more perfect. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

A good yarn
2007-11-23 - This is a surprisingly entertaining movie. I had never seen or heard of it before. Melanie Griffiths, who plays Lucille, is superb as the aspiring starlet who admits to killing her husband and then runs off to conquer Hollywood with her husband's head in a hat box. Back at home Lucas Black (Slingblade),her nephew, narrates how is life is in Alabama. The movie flips from her life on the run, and the boy's life back home. Meatloaf plays a racist cop to perfection as is the time of civil rights and segregation - a time of change. This movie takes life and makes it larger than life. It is a comedy, but it is also poignant and politically enlightening. When Lucille is eventually brought home to face justice after finding stardom on Bewitched, she meets the judge played by Rod Steiger. This is where reality flies out of the window and the story reminds us of those old black n' white 1930s movies where the heroine charms the court and escapes real justice. This is a movie that should have received more acclaim.

Crazy behind the camera in Southern fried soap opera
2007-07-11 - Whatever became of It "Working Girl" Melanie Griffith,who defeated her rival Sigourney Weaver and won the heart of Harrison Ford? She married the younger Antonio Banderas,who decided to direct her as a quirky killer housewife turned Hollywood diva.

"Crazy in Alabama" is a bizarre blend of two stories-a housewife who killed her husband&flees to Hollywood,and that of a young Southern boy who is a witness to racial tensions and participates in the civil rights struggle of the '60s. The stories could've been melded well;instead,there is a constant,choppy bouncing between them.The voice-overs of the housewife (Griffith) and the boy (Lucas Black) are intrusive,an excuse for the director to tell instead of show.It's also heavy-handed. The housewife also carries her husband's head in a hatbox for most of the movie--which doesn't make sense. It's never explained why she's dragging the evidence of her murder everywhere she goes. The young boy's interracial friendship-and his growing maturity-could have been touching.His story is more compelling;Lucas Black is a talented young actor.He's convincing in his character's growth. There are excuses for celebrity cameos from Meat Loaf,Robert Wagner,George Foreman and Rod Steiger;but it doesn't further the movie. Melanie Griffith isn't convincing as an abused housewife or a mother of a large family;she's barely shown with her children,and there's no emotional connection. Instead,she plays a Southern belle Auntie Mame;campy,a drama queen,all glitter without substance.

"Crazy in Alabama" has only two redeeming points-the soundtrack is wonderful and the civil rights plot,while good,could've been handled better. As Antonio Banderas' directing debut,it's no wonder he now only promotes his perfume/cologne line and voices Puss in Boots for the Shrek movies.

For the love of Melanie
2004-11-03 - Melanie Griffith is one of the biggest stars in the late 80's and early '90's, and her stardom has faded a bit in recent years. Although I really was impressed by her early work in Working Girls, it wasn't until I saw this film when I was swept away by her multi-layered performance that was funny, campy, and melodramatic. For a low-key period piece, she's the reason to see it.
Melanie plays a house wife raising 7 children under the roof of house dominated by her sexually, verbally, and physically abusive husband. She's had enough, so she cut his off and headed for Hollywood to pursue her acting career, leaving her kids and friends behind in Alabama. She carried his dead husband's head in a big hat box along for the ride. The police are trying to track her down.
She landed a gig in a TV show and became a big star over night. It's hard to believe that happened so easily. Everyone saw her on TV including the cops. A black boy was killed by a white boy accidently in Alabama and it was a huge racism scanddal. Melanie got arrested and was sent back to Alabama. Everyone treated her like a star when she arrived.
The courtroom scene was the climatic part of the film when Melanie gets to tell her story as a victim of abuse and trying to win the simpathy of the jury. I was so moved by this scene, and Melanie commands absolute attention, because she's very real and powerful emotionally. Whether she was released or sent to jail, you are just going to have to watch it.
It was obvious that Melanie gave her all to the direction of her husband/Antonio Banderas' debut. This is a must see for Melanie Griffith fans!