Crazy Love

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Crazy Love

PG-13

2007

1h 32m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Dan Klores examines the strange love affair of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss. Pugach is a successful attorney in the 1950s New York when he meets much-younger Riss. The pair date, but Riss breaks off contact with Pugach upon learning his claims of divorce are false. Discovering that Riss was engaged to another man, Pugach hires some men to throw lye in her face, and he serves 14 years in prison for the crime.

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Critics Consensus

Crazy Love's subjects and story are so compelling that they overcome the doc's dry, talking heads format.

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Melissa Anderson

Time Out

09/22/2007

3/6

As with all banner-head stories, there comes a point when you tire of being screamed at.

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Andrew Sarris

Observer

09/22/2007

It's too easy to feel superior to these two people and their marriage in hell for the sake of some easy (or even uneasy) laughter.

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Manohla Dargis

New York Times

09/22/2007

2/5

Far too readily tends to play this pathetic story for laughs.

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Christopher Campbell

Nonfics (Substack)

02/14/2025

The best Valentine’s Day movie of all time.

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

11/07/2019

Love and fate are funny things. And when on a collision course such as that of Linda and Burt the end result can only be on thing - CRAZY LOVE.

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Troy Patterson

Spin

10/25/2019

4/4

Dan Klores shapes their tale into a documentary as arresting as a Weegee crime-scene photo.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 07/07/2025

Real footage in 1 hour and 32 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Language, Sexual References and Mature Thematic Elements!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $300,400.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Rick W

@RT80523211 03/04/2023

Not too much shine factor in this documentary because the subject tended on the shallow side. The abusive man, after blinding his girlfriend for life, talks like nothing happened. And then they get back together after him in prison for 14 years, I am suspecting this couple discovered, not absolute forgiveness, perhaps something more like a lot of money being in the public eye. I could be wrong. This doc is good for one watch simply because of the insane story, but no second watch.

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07/17/2022

You can't believe what you're watching, and read abiut what happened to them after the movie. Just incredible.

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10/27/2016

this is one of the best documentaries i've ever seen. It's almost hard to believe it actually happened

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02/20/2016

Definitely crazy, love had nothing to do with it though.

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02/03/2016

Fascinating, stranger-than-fiction story. Very well-done doc as well.

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Dan Klores

Director

Fisher Stevens

Director

Dan Klores

Writer

Dan Klores

Producer

Fisher Stevens

Producer

Wolfgang Held

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Dan Klores examines the strange love affair of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss. Pugach is a successful attorney in the 1950s New York when he meets much-younger Riss. The pair date, but Riss breaks off contact with Pugach upon learning his claims of divorce are false. Discovering that Riss was engaged to another man, Pugach hires some men to throw lye in her face, and he serves 14 years in prison for the crime.

Director: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens
Producer: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens
Screenwriter: Dan Klores
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Production Co: Shoot the Moon Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Sexual References|Mature Thematic Elements)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $300.4K
Runtime: 1h 32m

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