CRAZY MIKE (2012)
Directed by SEAN FEUER
Starring DAN GREGORY, SEAN NEWMAN and CHRIS LUCAS
DAN GREGORY as the titular maniac.
This film's got everything we love: rollerblades, Hanson, and a grown man shaving his legs.
The setup: somewhere in the heart of suburban New Jersey, a son is caught drunk by his father. His punishment? To hang out with Crazy Mike, his deranged, rollerblade-obsessed, ex-urine-addicted cousin.
Directed by our old friend Sean Feuer, this nutty romp came onto our radar when the rest of us were still making ultra-serious end-of-year films at the budding Rutgers Film Certificate Program.
Old friend, and soon-to-be Magnalux collaborator SEAN NEWMAN as the sad sack.
Like all great film comedies, CRAZY MIKE packs a one-two punch: zany laughs and dramatic sentiment. Although it's completely absurd (above, the main character gets stabbed in the neck with a prison toothbrush), it has a ton of heart. The mixture of 90s-era nostalgia and dark suburban madness is just fantastic.
SEAN FEUER on his film and working with Dan:
The character in the film originated in a filmic exercise assignment I had to complete for my Directing class in 2012. Dan Gregory's humor was so rib-tickling, that I decided to make a short film that focused on "Mike's" life for my final project in Advanced Directing.
It was really rewarding to work with an actor who so effectively brings a character to life (Dan showed up on set with the rollerblades, hat, and wig). He improvised a lot, which made being on set so much fun.
The blades! The blades!!