The film was Crumb; a documentary featuring the bizarre life of underground comic book artist Robert Crumb. The film’s director, Terry Zwigoff, met Crumb in the early 1970’s while he was printing covers to Crumb’s comics. Zwigoff and Crumb would eventually form a relationship and over the next few years the pair wrote a handful of feature film screenplays that never saw the light of day.

In the mid 1980’s Zwigoff decided that he would make a documentary about his eccentric friend. For two years he followed Crumb around with a camera, capturing poignant moments with his wife, family, and fans. Almost ten years later Lynch would agree to lend his name to the production as it represented a legitimate slice of the “Weird Americana” that Lynch had become so well associated with.

Lynch’s involvement was pivotal in finding the film a distributor. Crumb went on to become one of the most celebrated documentaries of the decade. Despite the lack of Lynch’s creative involvement, there is certainly enough crossover appeal in the offbeat documentary to keep most fans of Lynch’s work entertained.

Reviewed by Matt and Scott
www.godsoffilmmaking.com