Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageDriving Me Crazy (1988)
Director: Nick Broomfield
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A hilarious cautionary tale tracing documentarist Broomfield's efforts to film the genesis of a glitzy stage show, to be produced in Munich by singer/impresario André Heller, reflecting the diversity of black musical experience. The budget for the associated documentary film is slashed from $1.4 million to $300,000, and a fictional subplot is introduced against Broomfield's will. Efforts to salvage the Fame-style feature founder, and fearing the collapse of the whole project, Broomfield continues on the understanding that he is allowed to film everything. The New York auditions give a first hint of the show's likely quality, a synthetic showbiz extravaganza incorporating a mish-mash of calypso, gospel, rap, tap, ballet and breakdance. More captivating by far are the off-stage machinations, including surreal conversations with neurotic scriptwriter Joe Hindy, a clandestine meeting between Broomfield and his producer in a broom cupboard, and crisis discussions conducted in financial double-speak. Several memorable characters emerge as Broomfield struggles to keep things in focus, his intrusive camera revealing artistic compromise, fragile egos, and a great deal of unintentional humour.Author: NF
Cast & crew
Director: Nick Broomfield
Producer: Andrew Braunsberg
Cast: André Heller, Andrew Braunsberg, Nick Broomfield, Joe Hindy, Edek Bartz, Roy Lichtenstein full cast
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 81 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now