Charles Bukowski is one of those authors about whom it is impossible not to have an opinion. His frank, to-the-point writing style is one of the most polarizing in the literary world. To some he was a dirty old man full of crude stories and sexual frustration while to others he’s a hero, a champion of the common man and a charming, if somewhat reluctant, celebrity. I for one love his work (what I’ve read of it) so I went into Crazy Love with high hopes.

Crazy Love is unique among most film adaptations of books in that it chooses to present stories from different books and different periods of the author’s life rather than pinpoint one particular book or period of time. Each of the 3 stories in Crazy Love sees the protagonist Henry Voss (Bukowski’s literary counterpart Henry Chinaski in his novels) during puberty, in his late teens and in his early 30’s. Taken separately, each of the parts are highly entertaining, well-acted and enjoyable for both longtime fans of Bukowski as well as those who have never even heard of him.Each of the three segments work well in developing the character we come to know by the end of the film, but the middle segment in particular is pure movie gold. This segment introduces a teenage Voss ripped right from the pages of “Ham on Rye,” though some liberties are taken with the story here. This is one of the best instances I’ve ever come across on film of feeling both sympathy and disgust in a character (a confusing feeling which amplifies even further by the time the credits roll). The acting, the comic relief and the teenage angst and disenchantment come together to create 30 minutes of pure magic.

All things considered, Crazy Love is an excellent film given a great DVD treatment by the fine folks at Mondo Macabro. To spoil any of the story would rob you of the joy, humor and disgust of seeing it for the first time and forming your own opinion on this excellent film.

Links: IMDB, Mondo Macabro