Krazy House is a 2024 Dutch comedy film written and directed by Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil in their Dutch/English-language feature debuts. Shot on location in Amsterdam, the film stars Nick Frost, Kevin Connolly and Alicia Silverstone. Maarten Swart serves as producer for Kaap Holland Films.

Krazy House
Directed by
  • Steffen Haars
  • Flip van der Kuil
Screenplay by
  • Steffen Haars
  • Flip van der Kuil
Produced byMaarten Swart
Starring
CinematographyJoris Kerbosch
Edited byFlip van der Kuil
Production
companies
Distributed bySplendid Films
Release date
  • January 20, 2024 (2024-01-20) (Sundance)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
CountryNetherlands
LanguagesDutch, English

Synopsis edit

In the 1990s, a religious home maker Bernie (Frost) and his family suddenly discover the workmen in his house are Russian criminals prepared to tear the house apart looking for loot.[2][3]

Cast edit

Production edit

Development edit

Writer-directors “Steffen & Flip” (Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil) co-produce alongside Maarten Swart for Kaap Holland Film who have Jorn Baars serving as executive producer, along with Todd Brown of XYZ Films. Splendid Films is handling distribution of the film in the Benelux region.[4] The project had support from the Netherlands Film Production Incentive who revealed in 2020 they had given €526,995 to the project.[5] Additional support came from the Netherlands Film Fund and the Abraham Tuschinski Fund Foundation.[6]

Filming edit

Principal photography took place in Amsterdam in mid-January 2022.[citation needed] Filming wrapped prior to XYZ Films taking on North American sales for the film at the European Film Market in February 2023.[7] Lead actor Nick Frost was quoted by Variety as saying the production was a "completely bonkers project to be a part of and I’ve absolutely loved every minute of it."[8] Silverstone told The Hollywood Reporter "I had a ball in Amsterdam, making a film with these amazing interesting filmmakers".[9]

Release edit

The film premiered in the Midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.[10]

Reception edit

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10.[11]

In a negative review, Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Krazy House hardly elicits a laugh, even if a sitcom-style laugh track plays throughout the first part of the movie, which was shot to fit the old 4:3 boob tube aspect ratio. When the Russians arrive to wreak havoc and the film expands to widescreen, it becomes so persistent in its pursuit of bad and bawdy humor that it's truly a test to sit through, not because of the gross-out factor but because the jokes are all kind of loud and dumb."[12]

Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting also gave the film a negative review and wrote, "There's a very hyper-specific audience in mind for Krazy House, the type that doesn't mind hollow exercises in shock value and gag-inducing humor without aim. But mostly, Krazy House just feels like a grating marathon of purposeless excess, devoid of effective humor. It somehow makes an 86-minute runtime feel like an absolute slog. The equivalent of nails on a chalkboard."[13]

References edit

  1. ^ "Krazy House". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Krazy House". Kaaphollandfilm.nl.
  3. ^ "Nick Frost and Alicia Silverstone in new movie from team behind New Kids". rtlboulevard.nl. February 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Berlin: Alicia Silverstone, Nick Frost, Kevin Connolly Join Dark Comedy 'Krazy House'". Hollywood Reporter. February 18, 2023.
  5. ^ "The Netherlands Film Production Incentive invests €8.2 million in its second round for 2020". Cineuropa.org. July 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "Berlin: Alicia Silverstone, Nick Frost and Kevin Connolly join black comedy "Krazy House"". Crumpe.com. February 18, 2023.
  7. ^ "XYZ Films boards North American sales on 'Krazy House' starring Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone". Screen Daily. February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. ^ "Nick Frost, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Connolly to Star in Dark Comedy 'Krazy House'". Variety. February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Berlin Spotlight: Why Alicia Silverstone Is "Having Nothing but Fun" in Her Second Act". The Hollywood Reporter. February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "Krazy House". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "'Krazy House' Review: A Sick and Twisted Sitcom Spoof That Overstays Its Welcome". The Hollywood Reporter. January 24, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  13. ^ "'Krazy House' Sundance Review – A Grating Exercise in Empty Violence and Shock Value". Bloody Disgusting. January 22, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.

External links edit