When a comedy gets preachy it turns into a tragedy. This is exactly what happens to CRAZY CUKKAD FAMILY which starts on a hilarious note and ends up telling us what is right and wrong. Despite of lame plot, what actually saves the film is its dialogue. Most lines are genuinely inventive. And it helps that Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla and the rest of the cast of CCF get their comedic timing bang on. Even though the film has a few laugh out loud moments and a peppy pace of narrative, it feels a bit lengthy. CRAZY CUKKAD FAMILY could have been the proverbial rib-tickler if only the focus was on making us laugh!
Crazy Cukkad Family has a lame story and screenplay too follows the formula of picking up from here and there. The biggest strength of a low budget film is its story and performances but this film is a big zero as far as story is concerned. Director Ritesh Menon has used many filmy formulas to make the film work. There is an item song for oomph factor. From a rented wife for green card to a secret gay relationship - the director has tried to imbibe many surprise twists but has failed. The film's trailer had raised quite an expectation; we thought we will get to watch a nice small-budget comedy under Prakash Jha's banner but the film disappoints. Songs are average. The only saving grace is the duration of film. Go watch Crazy Cukkad family if you can laugh watching any comedy or if you want your family to learn the lesson of unity.
What stands out in this simple, funny film is its ensemble cast. To his credit, debut director Ritesh Menon brings together some good actors best suited for the roles they are playing, thus making this film a fairly enjoyable experience. Crazy Cukkad Family itself lacks ambition as it seems content with little. A tad more effort and this could have been a better film.
With a runtime of an hour and a quarter, it is relatively short all right. It isn’t, however, half as sweet as it pretends to be. That, in a nutshell, is the story of Crazy Cukkad Family , an unfunny film that is all over the place as it chases a non-existent rooster. It lacks the spry wit and intelligent quirks that might have salvaged its lame plot. A wild goose chase is always avoidable, especially when it assumes the form of a full-fledged film.
Crazy Cukkad Family lacks freshness and is a rework of many Bollywood films. You may like it in bits and pieces, but overall it’s just an average fillm. The basic flaw with such a film is that it is a story told via dialogues which means your characters need to be carved out judiciously. The editor has done a fantastic job by keeping the length of the film just under 90 minutes. It stops CCF from becoming a tedious watch.
‘Crazy Cukkad Family’ promises a lot of fun cock-a-doodle-do, but delivers much too much cockamamie, instead. It could very well have been a laugh-a-minute, given the theme. There are moments when the film seems to get it, but then squanders the chance, and gets back to being broad and obvious. And dull.
The film scores as far as performances are concerned, especially from Shilpa Shukla and the multifaceted Swanand Kirkire. However, what puts a break on this potentially quirky laughter ride is its predictable story. From a gay love track and happily-ever-after climax to the property dispute... you can foretell every twist in the plot. Also, jokes about item girl Cherry doing her 'hot pakoda' dance in slowmo seems irrelevant. Overall, the characters are crazy enough to amuse you with their shenanigans. If you don't mind a cliched story, Beri villa is worth a visit.