ThiefHott Too much of everything

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Dalbert Pringle If you ask me - Crazy Love (from 2007) has got to be one of the most vile, demented and truly sickening "real-life" Romeo & Juliet stories ever told.Crazy Love was the kind of moronic "love" story that could only happen (where else, but) in America. This fast-food, tabloid-mentality documentary was about as American as is the grotesque reek of McDonalds' restaurants.I certainly view both Linda Riss and Burt Pugach as being nothing but a revolting pair of white-trash, publicity seekers who really-really-really deserved each other (till they both turned to rot in hell, wrapped in each other's cold, reptilian embrace).Riss and Pugach (and their nauseating "love" affair) were the ultimate in sickening garbage. And for them to gloat about it and re-tell all of the sordid, blow-by-blow details of this despicable "on-again/off-again" relationship (in this documentary) was like putting this thoroughly disgusted viewer through the hideous torture of "The Rack" for 90 solid minutes.

Roland E. Zwick Of all human traits, "love" is probably the least easy to categorize or define. We like to believe that it comes in all shapes, sizes and forms, but is there a limit beyond which the definition simply cannot go, a type of feeling that, though it may resemble love on the surface, is, in reality, an entity quite different from the actual thing? Without setting out to do so, Burt Pugach and Linda Riss are two individuals who have truly done their best to redefine "love" on their own terms.Almost from the outset, the story of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss had all the ingredients of a classic tabloid sensation: romance, jealousy, rage, obsession, disfigurement, imprisonment, reconciliation and redemption, all wrapped around a crime of passion that would shock and horrify the nation. And this would turn out to be no run-of-the-mill, here-today/gone-tomorrow type of scandal, either, for it would flourish over the course of no fewer than five full decades, from the late 1950's to the mid 1990's. Now, straight out of the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction file comes the documentary "Crazy Love" to provide us with a brilliant and mind-blowing account of their story.This disturbing and fascinating film begins in 1957, when a lawyer from the Bronx named Burt Pugach met and fell in love with a beautiful, yet naïve, young woman named Linda Riss. Though at first carried away by this man's easy flowing charm and wealth, Linda tried to back out of the relationship when she discovered that he was already married and had apparently no intention of ever asking his wife for a divorce. Unable to live with Linda's rejection, Burt quickly became a stalker, going so far as to hire three men to go to Linda's house and throw lye into her face, resulting in almost total blindness for the unsuspecting girl. A sensationalistic trial then ensued, resulting in imprisonment for Burt and a life of loneliness for Linda. Yet, baby, you ain't seen nothing' yet - for it's from here on out that things REALLY start to get crazy.Suffice it to say that, when all is said and done, "Crazy Love" will leave you gaping in stunned silence - or at least scratching your head in amazement at the mind-boggling truths it reveals about human nature. This film conjures up a whole host of contradictory responses in the audience, making us question just how exactly we are supposed to feel about these two individuals and the relationship they've somehow managed to forge out of all this madness. Is Burt simply a raving maniac who can't tell the difference between love and obsession, or is there some basic element of decency in his character that might allow him to find true forgiveness and redemption for his crime? Is Linda merely a hapless victim drawn to the man who's abused her, or is she a calculating opportunist willing to do what it takes to obtain some security and love in this world? Or does she - in some weird way and despite all he's done to her - actually love the man? What's admirable, from an artistic standpoint, is that the movie doesn't answer any of those questions for us. Instead, we are lured into this crazy, topsy-turvy world of inverted values, then forced to find our own way back out of it - if we can.Writer/director Dan Klores has structured his film in a way that is particularly effective for anyone not yet acquainted with the story. He begins by relating the initially rather mundane details of this romance in strictly chronological order, with no real inkling of the darkness that is to come, leaving us to question after awhile just why this particular story and this particular couple merit all this attention. It isn't until about twenty or thirty minutes into the film that he finally lowers the boom on us, and we come to realize the significance of the tale he is relating. He does this again later in the story (yes, there is a second major boom to drop), as we watch in spellbound amazement as one astonishing level after another is slowly peeled off the onion.With an abundance of photos and film clips - along with songs popular at the time playing on the soundtrack - Klores is able to bring the various eras in which this all took place to vivid life. But, obviously, his key selling point is the numerous interviews he was able to glean with people intimately connected to the story - including Burt and Linda themselves. Nobody could ever probably fully comprehend their relationship and the fact that it somehow "works" for them may say more about human nature than we may indeed care to know.Still, there's no doubt that this is one movie that will have you thinking long and hard about it after it's over.

hollywoodetroit I loved this documentary, an intimate view into one of the strangest, unimaginable love stories ever heard of. Burton and Linda Pugach are living proof that love can conquer all. This film expertly tells their tale of love, revenge, obsession, infidelity, heartache, loss, and ultimately, forgiveness in a straightforward way. There is enough real emotion in the story that the filmmakers wisely let through without milking any moments or pandering to the audience. Dan Klores (the Director) found the right people, asked the right questions, and did a great job of guiding this story towards its' conclusion in an interesting and compelling fashion. Fans of documentaries will love this movie as will fans of love stories and dramas. Anyone who has ever felt unrequited love or heartache will identify with this movie. There are many questions raised as one watches this movie, such as: Could I have ever done something as awful as Burt? Could I ever be as forgiving as Linda? You will hate these people and love these people by the time the movie is over, often simultaneously. You will be frustrated, angry, teary eyed, laughing, shocked, and cathartic by movies end, but most importantly, as a testament to the filmmakers prowess, you will be left wishing you could see all 100 hrs that Klores shot. If it is true that Klores plans to direct only 1 more documentary before attempting to direct feature films (non-documentaries) only, I will be 1st in line for that movie as well.

Michael O'Keefe I fell for the hype and viewed nothing that I expected. I just didn't find it shocking or outrageous in content. In more or less a documentary style is the telling of a very weird romance. The married 32 year old Burt Pugach, a nerdy looking attorney of sorts and a jack of several trades puts his eyes on an attractive 20 year old sweet girl from the Bronx named Linda. It was love at first sight. Maybe a bit one sided in favor of Burt. Linda didn't stop the whirlwind romance that was a roller-coaster ride of pretense and obsession. Their marriage was a saga of violent and psychological abuse that headlined newspapers and magazines in the late 1950s. It was a complex coupling to say the least and director Dan Klores with the couple examine those turbulent times almost fifty years later. This film is an example of making craziness seem mundane.