Customer Reviews

Crush

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, though it was definitely not the light-hearted comedy I was expecting. As a 25-year-old young professional, I settled into my couch on a rainy weekday night hoping to raise my spirits and de-stress with an old-fashioned romance infused with british humour, a la four weddings and a funeral. I found myself at the end of two hours with tears streaming down my face.

The pluses of the film include the luminous performance by Andie McDowell -- she is concurrently believable as the prim headmistress of a little English town as well as an ethereally beautiful woman with a naughty side -- interesting enough to steal the heart of a younger guy. Her rapport with Kenny Doughty is truly touching (and many woman can reminesce of the time they fell so much in lust and in love with someone not-just-quite-right but oh-so-alluring). Jed, as the quirky little raver boy-slacker, I have to admit, stole my heart.

The minuses -- during the second half of the film, I kept wondering why the director didn't stick to Jed and Kate's story. I sincerely wish someday, he would be inspired to come out with Crush Version 2... not focused on the horrifically catty women Kate calls her friends. And with a happier ending.

I'm still trying to sort through my reaction to this film, so I suppose you could say it hit a nerve. The previews for "Crush" made it seem like such a fun chick flick, so I anticipated it to be just that. And it started as such - funny, brilliant women chatting about life and love (or the lack thereof). And then the sexual heat got turned up with a cute Scottish organist that falls for Andie McDowell. One of the female friends gets jealous/envious, and all hell breaks loose. The film then spirals out of control, going from a sweet, heart-warming romance to a very unhappy set of circumstances. It was such a strange, sad turn, and it put the film into a whole different category. Not at all what I expected, and it was not a pleasant surprise. It really threw me (perhaps that was the intention of the film), and it sort of soured the rest of the experience. I left the film feeling a little cheated and a little disappointed. True, it did make me feel, but I had gone into the film hoping for a fun romp, but came out of it feeling unsettled and sad. Wish the marketing folks would have let the audience know what we were in for.

I thought when I picked this movie up from the video store that it was a light-hearted comedy about female friendships (that's the way it's marketed). I was partially correct. The first half of the movie is quite fun and has a little bit of romantic suspense to it--of the "Is he or isn't he a decent guy" variety. Then out of nowhere comes a plot "twist" that is extremely cruel and unnecessary to wreck the whole thing. The 45 minutes or so that follow are completely unbelievable and wimpy on the part of writer/director McKay. If he had ever paid attention to female relationships, he would know that his resolution to this movie is laughable. No one in their right minds would forgive the things that Andie McDowell's character is expected to get over in this movie, and they sure as heck wouldn't be as peaceful about the way everything turned out as she is by the time the credits roll. The only reason that this movie got the rating it did from me is that the acting is actually quite good, but that doesn't save this movie. Ridiculous.

This movie is one that if you are a woman,you will enjoy. Crush will induce emotions and start one to really think about friendship and how dangerously controlling it can be if their is no respect. I loved the music that went along with the movie and the plot was full of unexpected twists and turns. Three professional women, single, in their 40's are friends is a beautiful english countryside town. One of these three women falls deeply in love with a very handsome, charasmatic, sensous, caring man. His downfall? He is years younger then she. Instead of being happy for her, the other two scramble their lives so that it is their complete mission to wreck this beautiful relationship between a man and a woman. Unfortunatly, they will stop at nothing. Crush keeps you in tow until the very end, and I would suggest keeping a box of tissue handy. Crush will evoke many feelings, and shows the dismay of what base friendship is: cruelty, jealousy, disrespect, and irreversable pain. This movie will move you to realize that there is so much more to friendship and perhaps it will allow one to realize that respect is a crucial factor in any friendship. There is an almost amazing transformation of characters and surpising amount of forgivenss and healing taking place. Crush will keep you wondering until it's perplexing conclusion. Andie MacDowell and Kenny Doughty have an amazing on screen charisma, and Kenny Doughty is a very handsome young British actor full of life, acting as "Jed" he did an excellent job portraying this young man. I loved it and will defintly look for more movies with Kenny Doughty in them!

I was not familiar with "Crush" previously--but with Andie MacDowell, Imelda Staunton, and Anna Chancellor as the stars, I decided to give it a try. It is a surprisingly well made picture with some very nice performances. Ostensibly billed as a romantic comedy, the movie tries to be too many things to too many people. With a shifting focus and tone throughout, it isn't wholly successful and some of it's parts have more impact then the overall film does.

The film begins as a genial buddy comedy, shifts a bit into a surprisingly mean spirited romantic comedy, then into a heavy drama, and back into warm lightheartedness. It's a bit uneven, which is unfortunate because there are a lot of great qualities within this picture. I can't help but think that if "Crush" hadn't been quite so schizophrenic--maybe been a light romantic drama with comedic elements--I would have loved this movie.

By far the most successful element within "Crush" is the romance. I'm not typically known for my soft heart, but I found the relationship formed between Andie MacDowell and Kenny Doughty very believable and well done. MacDowell is a school headmistress, and Doughty a former pupil--so there is about a 20 year age difference between them. From the tentative flirting, to the sexual liaison, to the discovery of real love--I thought these two were great. Had the whole picture been focused on this story, I'd have been with it wholeheartedly.

However, there is a mean streak to these characters as well. And while this isn't totally unbelievable, I found it somewhat unnecessary. Anna Chancellor, especially, as MacDowell's best "friend" doesn't believe this May/December romance will work. So she is so malicious, unsupportive and destructive--it's hard to imagine rooting for these two to remain friends. Skepticism is one thing, evil is another.

Overall, "Crush" is worth a look. Had the plot and some of the over-the-top elements been scaled back, the movie had true potential. As is, the uneven tone keeps me from giving it more than 3 stars. KGHarris, 11/06.

The first time I saw this movie was on British Airways on my way from London to Houston, it was such a nice movie, I usually hate long flights but this movie made my flight an agreable one.
It was really a very sad movie, very touching, I was very sad for Kate, character played by Andie MacDowell, it shows how friends when they try to over protect you, they ruin your life, the music is great and very emotive.
When I came home, I bought it because I needed a copy of that great piece of art.
The character is beautifully played by the inborn talented Andie MacDowell.
I strongly recommend you to buy this movie, you'll surely enjoy everything, the moral of the story, the music and all the other characters. It's also in a nice setting in England, very beautiful landscape. And prepare your handkerchief because you won't be able to hold your tears. Even guys will cry.

I hate hate hate movies that present to be a light comedy then go dark. I wish I never started watching it. If I could give it less than 1 star I would!!!

CRUSH is now a ten year old film written and directed by John McKay, a film that stands up well with the passage of time and the observations of feminine behavior. It is blessed with a fine cast of actors and has the courage to take a comedic start and turn it into a tragic mode without destroying the main theme of the special friendship among a small group of women.

Kate Scales (Andie MacDowell) is a headmistress of a private school in a smallish English town and is close friends with policewoman Janine (Imelda Staunton) and physician Molly Cartwright (Anna Chancellor): each of the women is in the 40s range of age and each is single, their social life is meeting together for booze, smoking, and gossip and competing by putting themselves down for having the worst faux pas with men. Kate encounters a young former student of hers, Jed Willis (Kenny Doughty) as he plays the organ for funerals. There is a mutual attraction and soon they are having a frequent physical relationship. Jed is sincerely in love with Kate but Kate feels the 20 some odd year difference in their ages in an insurmountable gap - though she is passionately attracted to Jeb. When Kate shares her 'affair' with Molly and Janine her friends are appalled and set out to destroy a relationship they feel is completely wrong and doomed to failure. Molly and Janine take extreme measures to see to it that the couple is broken up and their intentions result in a tragedy they all must face. The repercussions of this behavior creates a whole new set of circumstances and despite the tragic elements the friends are able to reunite by film's end - with very clear discoveries about each other and changes in each of their lives.

There is a lot of well written and well delivered humor in the first half of the film with the trio of women creating a bond that seems to be ceaselessly entertaining. The introduction of Jed - played to perfection by the very talented Kenny Doughty - changes the theme of the story and while many viewers will feel negative about the turn of events there is here a chance for the examination of the spectrum of friendship that is solidly written and performed. What seems to be a bit of fluff movie develops into a psychological study that makes it stand above many other 'chick flick' comedies. Grady Harp, December 10

This is a trite film, as can be seen by summarizing the plot, without revealing the "happy ending." Three somewhat hedonistic forty year olds enjoy smoking, drinking, and telling tales about their male conquests or near conquests. They are very close and enjoy each other's company. Then Andie Macdowell fall in love with a boy that is only around 25, close to half her age. He does not fit in with the other women, nor with their friends. The two friends try several ways to bring Macdowell to her senses.

What do they do? Is it anyway different than in other films? Will they suceed? What happens to the boy? What happens to Macdowell? The ususal breakupup of friends occurs for the usual reason. Will they get back together? Do we care?

Don't ask me why, but I watch this dvd over and over and over. Something about Kenny Doughty's accent and the way he takes out his gum before he makes love in the car. Tee hee!

Andie MacDowell is perfect in this older woman younger man romance. The ending is truly tragic and sad and more than a little insipid. But the story is full of magic and it is really too bad the writer did not find a way to memorialize that instead of turning it into a weeper. The beginning and middle though is so beautiful, it makes up for a lot. I love this dvd. It always makes me happy for days...and it makes me look at men differently.