Taglines: When it’s real. When it’s right. Don’t let anything stand in your way.
Crazy / Beautiful movie storyline. When fate brings together two high school seniors from opposite sides of the tracks, it’s something crazy/beautiful. Nicole (Kirsten Dunst) is the 17-year-old troubled daughter of a wealthy congressman who never met a rule she didn’t break. Carlos (Jay Hernandez) is a grade A student with big dreams who endures a two-hour bus ride every morning to attend high school in an upscale L.A. neighborhood.
Their innocent flirtations quickly develop into passionate love, but Nicole’s self-destructive behavior threatens their relationship and puts Carlos’ promising future in jeopardy. Will their intense passion keep them together despite the objections of their families or will Carlos be forced to plan his future without Nicole?
Crazy / Beautiful (stylized as crazy / beautiful) is a 2001 romantic drama film starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. It is largely set at Palisades Charter High School and the surrounding area, including Downtown Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Malibu (where Dunst’s character lives), and East Los Angeles (where Hernandez’s character lives).
Crazy / Beautiful opened at #9 at the U.S. Box office taking in $4,715,060 USD during its opening weekend. The film eventually grossed a worldwide total of $19,937,988 on a $13 million budget.
About the Story
Nicole Oakley, the out-of-control daughter of congressman Tom Oakley, meets a working class Mexican-American straight-A student, Carlos Nuñez. Nicole’s mother committed suicide when she was very young, and feels unwanted by her father, who is now married to another woman and has another young daughter with his new wife. Carlos, on the other hand, is from a poor background and is working hard towards becoming a Navy pilot.
They fall in love, and Carlos spends so much time with her that he stops performing well in school. Carlos is applying to the U.S. Naval Academy and Nicole’s father suggests Carlos talk to him about gaining his Congressional sponsorship to the Academy. During their meeting, Nicole’s father tells Carlos that he needs to end his relationship with Nicole, or she will destroy his life.
Carlos breaks up with her, which leads Nicole into depression and back into wild, drunken partying. One night, Carlos calls her and finds out she is getting drunk at a high school party. He saves Nicole from a boy trying to take advantage of her. Carlos drives her home, but they get stopped by the police.
As a result of this incident, Nicole’s father and stepmother decide that she needs to go to a boarding school far away from home; Carlos rescues her and they run away together. While they are away, Nicole realizes she is getting in the way of Carlos’ dreams, so she decides to sober up. They go back home and she makes up with her father. Her father thanks Carlos for not listening to his advice to abandon Nicole. In the end credits, we see that Carlos has become a pilot with the Navy.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album was released by Hollywood Records on June 6, 2001; Seven Mary Three’s “Wait” served as the album’s English lead single; La Ley’s “Siempre (Every Time)” was its Spanish lead single. “Wait” charted considerably well and its music video, directed by the film’s director Stockwell, featured Dunst and Hernandez.[3] Amazon.com editorialist Rickey Wright gave a mixed review of the soundtrack, citing groups like The Dandy Warhols, Mellow Man Ace, and Delinquent Habits as “evocative” while also stating that it “hardly makes a good argument for the continuing validity of guitar rock.”[4]
“Ten Le Fe” – Mellow Man Ace
“Who am I?” – Lily Frost
“To Be Free” – Emiliana Torrini
“Wait” – Seven Mary Three
“Every Time” – La Ley
“La Reina Del Lugar” – Serralde
“Shattered” – Remy Zero
“Boulevard Star” – Delinquent Habits (featuring Michelle)
“This is Not My Life” – Fastball
“Sumpin'” – The Pimps
“Alright” – Osker
“Sleep” – The Dandy Warhols
“She Gave Me Love” – The Getaway People
“I Want to Believe You” – Lori Carson & Paul Haslinger
“Perfect” – Maren Ord
“Siempre” – La Ley
“This Year’s Love” – David Gray
Crazy / Beautiful (2001)
Directed by: John Stockwell
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez, Lucinda Jenney, Taryn Manning, Bruce Davison, Rolando Molina, Miguel Castro, Virginia Sánchez, Kimi Reichenberg
Screenplay by: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi
Production Design by: Maia Javan
Cinematography by: Shane Hurlbut
Film Editing by: Melissa Kent
Costume Design by: Susan Matheson
Set Decoration by: Maria Nay
Art Direction by: Tom Meyer
Music by: Paul Haslinger
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving teens, drug/alcohol content, sexuality and language.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: June 29, 2001
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