Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Crime Wave

      1985 1h 20m Comedy List
      Reviews 93% Audience Score 50+ Ratings Kim (Eva Kovacs), a young Canadian girl, narrates the story of her family's eccentric boarder, Steve (John Paizs), a frustrated aspiring writer obsessed with noir cinema and determined to pen the screenplay for the greatest crime film ever to reach the screen. But when Steve finds himself suffering from a crippling case of writer's block, Kim suggests he respond to an ad placed by Dr. C. Jolly (Neil Laurie), a bizarre Texan whose guidance may actually be more trouble than its worth. Read More Read Less Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

      Where to Watch

      Crime Wave

      Prime Video

      Watch Crime Wave with a subscription on Prime Video.

      Critics Reviews

      View All (1) Critics Reviews
      Greg Klymkiw Electric Sheep Each and every time I see the film, I'm not only howling with laughter as hard as I did when I first saw it, but absolutely floored by how astoundingly brilliant and original it is. Sep 22, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (4) audience reviews
      Courtney K this was an interesting little film; i'm not sure if i really liked it all that much though. quirky & funny in parts, but pretty forgettable by the end of it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It's so nice to catch up with old friends. A true outsider classic! Because the big three had everything pretty much locked up, it was hard for anyone to break in from the outside... But then from the north came this plucky little movie that had what it took to make it to the top... because they had a dream! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member What a bizarre, unique film this is. The film folows a young movemaker whom is trying to make the best "color crime movie". He has the beginning down, and the end down, but just can't seem to figure out what to do in the middle. The daughter of the landlord where this director is staying, becomes fascinated with his work and befriends the director. Now, that being said; this film is very unique in that this director, the main character, has absolutely no dialogue. Everything that the audience learns is through the eyes of this little girl, via narration. Its a really funny unique story. One scene which stood out for me being where all the various crime wave characters from every draft of the moviemakers script are hanging out in the room where he writes. They get drunk, perform odd sexual advances and are just choas, which I can only imagine is an analogy for writers block. I really don't know how to explain this film; its really bizarre and borderline surreal at times. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a GREAT film! I first saw it in the late 1980s and it took 15 years before I could get my own copy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member HEAVENS TO MURGATROID IS THIS MOVIE GREAT! SO GREAT I HAVE TO WRITE MY REVIEW IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS! JOHN PAIZS IS A MASTER OF COMEDY AND THIS FILM NEEDS A MUCH BIGGER FOLLOWING! SEE IT! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Kim (Eva Kovacs), a young Canadian girl, narrates the story of her family's eccentric boarder, Steve (John Paizs), a frustrated aspiring writer obsessed with noir cinema and determined to pen the screenplay for the greatest crime film ever to reach the screen. But when Steve finds himself suffering from a crippling case of writer's block, Kim suggests he respond to an ad placed by Dr. C. Jolly (Neil Laurie), a bizarre Texan whose guidance may actually be more trouble than its worth.
      Director
      John Paizs
      Screenwriter
      John Paizs
      Production Co
      Favorite Films
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 22, 2017
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $9.4K
      Runtime
      1h 20m
      Most Popular at Home Now