Critical Praise for 'Crazy Like a Fox'

WASHINGTON TIMES MAY 4, 2006 GARY ARNOLD OPENING

* Crazy Like a Fox (2005) (PG-13: Fleeting profanity) The belated theatrical release of one of the more creditable and diverting first features to emerge from a Washington-based filmmaker. Writer-director Richard Squires shot this comic valentine to a stubborn, improvident Virginia landowner called Nat Banks (Roger Rees) near Middleburg. Mortgaged to the hilt but proudly averse to selling his patrimony, Nat relents when a wealthy young couple offers a substantial price. But they turn into absentee landlords harboring a development scheme that alienates the clannish community, so Nat seizes a quixotic chance to recoup, becoming a furtive squatter and persistent nuisance. -- The material is stronger in the first half, when Mr. Squires recognizes the incorrigible side of Nat, cleverly played by Roger Rees, and the need for him to face facts, if only to retain his sensible and patient spouse Amy (Mary McDonnell). The last half prefers to embrace Nat without reservation, but the partiality doesn’t wreck much of the humorous characterization or the consistently lovely response to the countryside.

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littleman.com

Movie Title: Crazy Like A Fox
Description: IN THEATERS MAY 5, 2006 The sort of small, picturesque production that has become more and more scarce with the Hollywood-ization of independent film, CRAZY LIKE A FOX is goodhearted, family-friendly entertainment with a distinctly Southern flavor. Veteran British actor Roger Rees is given ample opportunity to ham it up as Nat Banks, whose Virginia farm has been handed down through seven generations. After an accident involving his horses eating a large amount of corn, he finds himself in dire financial straits and must put the compound up for sale. Enter Will and Ellie Sherman, ruthless yuppie Northerners from Washington who buy the farm, promising they will not raze the decrepit antebellum mansion and will allow Nat to stay on as farm manager. When they unapologetically renege on the deal and announce their plans to build several new homes on the property, newly homeless Nat dons an old Confederate uniform and moves into a cave in the forest while the community plots a way to show the Shermans that a person’s word carries great weight below the Mason-Dixon line. First-time director Richard Squires gives us beautiful Virginia scenery and an old-fashioned morality tale that enjoyably walks the line between screwball comedy and light drama. In a performance he appears to be relishing, Rees makes Nat sympathetic even when his actions border on the psychotic, and Mary McDonnell (DANCES WITH WOLVES) adds another soulful supporting role to her distinguished list of credits. Filmgoers looking for explosions and high-tech hijinks certainly aren’t the audience for CRAZY LIKE A FOX, but those who yearn for the days when a small film could open gradually and do well based on positive word of mouth will find a quiet, appealing entertainment here.

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NYC Movie Guru

BASIC PREMISE: Nat (Rees), a Virginian farmer, fights for the re-possession of his precious family farm.

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: From the very beginning, the conflict is clear when two wealthy, insensitive lawyers from Washington, D.C. (Rouner and Fitzgerald) buy Nat’s farmhouse and evict him along with his wife Amy (McDonnell) and their two young children, but not before Nat realizes he has been cheated and wants his farmhouse back—after he signs the contract. After the eviction, Nat simply won’t go away by living in a cave near a creek not far away from the home. His actions while at this cave are quite strange, yet humorous. Meanwhile, the lawyers get treated with hostility when they try to interact with the townspeople. For example, one of the lawyers tries to buy beer at a pub, but gets refused. Much of Crazy Like a Fox plays out predictably without any surprises, but Roger Rees gives a charming performance as the odd, but likable Nat—unlike the two lawyers who come across, convincingly, as cold, mean and arrogant. In other words, it’s easy to hate the two lawyers while rooting for Nate and caring about his family up to the very end. Writer/director Richard Squires includes many breathtaking nature scenes which celebrate the genuine beauty of Virginian wildlife, which becomes an enchanting character of its own.

SPIRITUAL VALUE: Nat’s farmhouse means much more to him than just a bunch of material that provides safety and survival. To him, his home represents all the memories from the past which, inevitable, has always been a part of him. Taking it away from him would be like taking away his arm or his leg. It’s inspirational to watch him risk his marriage and life to defend his property in any way possible—but without resorting to violence. The way the townspeople end up supporting him is truly heartwarming and uplifting.