Crazy House is set in the 90s and centers on a man named Bernie, a devoutly religious homemaker and his picture perfect sitcom family. But then when a team of Russian workmen renovating their home turns out to be wanted criminals, Bernie's world crumbles. He's forced to save his family while losing his sanity.
Now the first act plays like an actual 90s sitcom, for better or for worse, complete with corny acting, bright lighting and predictable laugh tracks. But then, everything that can go wrong does go wrong and suddenly the movie shifts into a darker more cinematic territory. It stars Nick Frost and honestly I spent half of the time wondering if it was really him. It doesn't quite look like him, yet somehow it also does. I wasn't really sure know after the movie when I had to look it up.
It also stars Alicia Silverstone as well. And despite their best efforts and the few laughs they managed to pull off, it just wasn't strong enough to carry this film on its own. Their performances shine in moments, but the weak writing and uneven pacing make it hard for even those talented actors to save this film.
The sitcom homage is spot on at first, the acting, the set designs, which reminded me of a few sitcoms I loved as a kid, such as "Married with Children." But then that charm wears off pretty fast. The sitcom style overstays its welcome, dragging on for 30 minutes, especially when you consider that a real sitcom runs for 20 minutes without commercials. And then the story finally starts to pick up.
The tonal shift is welcome, but it comes a bit too late to fully redeem the experience. The movie's writing is the biggest issue. There's so much happening so quickly that it's hard to follow, and yet none of it feels engaging. If there's a message or deeper point to it all, I completely missed it in this chaotic mess of a movie.
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So, should you watch Krazy House? Well, this could have been an amazing, mind-blowing film if it were released in the 90s, when sitcoms were all the rage still, remember TGIF? I mean, had I seen this when I was a kid, after having just watched Step by Step and Family Matters and Full House, well, I would have loved it.
But now? After having seen Adult Swim's Too Many Cooks, which did it first, did it better, and did it shorter, and kept its charm intact, Krazy House just doesn't stand a chance. There are a few funny moments, and there's some potential here, but overall, it feels like a chore to get through. So, if you're curious, go ahead and give it a try.