Lunatics: A Love Story (1991)
(On Cable TV, June 2021) Much as you can tell much about people in the way their personalities are praised over their other qualities, there’s a kind of movie out there that defines itself by its weirdness above everything else, and that’s where we find Lunatics: A Love Story. There’s a quirky aspect to it that does make it endearing, even as it deals with damaged, mentally ill characters. Ted Raimi stars as a poet with a number of irrational fears that have kept him from getting out of his apartment for the previous six months (this was pre-pandemic times, so considered outrageous). Meanwhile, Deborah Foreman shows up as a troubled young woman who ends up with the male lead out of sheer happenstance. Bruce Campbell is often mentioned in relation to the film, but he’s a few supporting characters at best — but his presence is an additional sign of the filiation between writer-director Josh Becker and fellow Detroit native Sam Raimi. The low-budget energy similarities between Lunatics and early Raimi are there, but the film quickly comes into its own. The mixture of eccentric romance between damaged characters and nightmare-like visuals is intriguing enough and ensures that Lunatics will appeal to viewers looking for an offbeat film.
