C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

A warm-hearted if predictable rites-of-passage movie, enlivened by some surreal flourishes and a stomping glam soundtrack.

If Brokeback Mountain was the bleak gay drama of 2005 that all audiences could enjoy, then another 2005 feature, the equally heterosexually enjoyable C.R.A.Z.Y., puts the colour back in the adjective 'gay'.

Thoroughly entertaining and visually arresting.

C.R.A.Z.Y. succeeds by touching on the kinds of events that could happen to any of us.

It will exhaust your eyes, your ears, and your mind.

C.R.A.Z.Y. goes far beyond what could have simply been a coming of age story. Director Jean-Marc Vallée delves beneath all the complex layers that unite and divide a family.

Even though the ending feels a little rushed, and some of the brothers are more sketches than characters, this is a family it's impossible not to like.

An exuberant, disarming entertainment, C.R.A.Z.Y. makes a familiar story seem new all over again through its sheer showmanship, sharp humor and a wise, profound understanding of the highs and lows of family ties.