The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
Crazy in Alabama
Comedy · Drama · 1999
An abused wife heads to California to become a movie star while her nephew back in Alabama has to deal with a racially-motivated murder involving a corrupt sheriff.
Movie details
Crazy in Alabama
“Sometimes you have to lose your mind to find your freedom.”
1999 Comedy · Drama 1h 52m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.0 / 10
Community rating
An abused wife heads to California to become a movie star while her nephew back in Alabama has to deal with a racially-motivated murder involving a corrupt sheriff.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Crazy in Alabama?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Undertow
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The Munns, father John and sons Chris and Tim, recede to the woods of rural Georgia. Their life together is forever changed with the arrival of Uncle Deel, though the tragedy that follows forces troubled Chris to become a man.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Antonio Banderas
Written by
Mark Childress
Melanie Griffith
Lucille Vinson
David Morse
Dove Bullis
Lucas Black
Peter Joseph 'Peejoe' Bullis
Cathy Moriarty
Earlene Bullis
Meat Loaf
Sheriff John Doggett
Rod Steiger
Judge Louis Mead
Richard Schiff
Norman the Chauffeur
Court is in session
Put Crazy in Alabama on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.