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Crumb

Play trailer Poster for Crumb R 1994 1h 59m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 43 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff creates a complex but affectionate portrait of his longtime friend, underground cartoonist Robert Crumb. A notorious curmudgeon who would prefer to be alone with his fellow cartoonist wife Aline Kominsky-Crumb and his beloved vintage jazz records, Crumb reveals himself to be a complicated personality who suffered a troubled upbringing and harbors a philosophical opposition to the 1960s hippie underground that first celebrated his work.

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Crumb

Crumb

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Critics Consensus

Crumb is a frank and surreal chronicle of artistic expression and family trauma, offering an unblinking gaze into the mind and work of cartoonist Robert Crumb that will endear as much as it unsettles.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 06/07/2022
4/4
The point is, even a screwball like Crumb had more workaday wisdom to get me through the night than most of what the rest of the culture was offering–or still has to offer, for that matter. Go to Full Review Manohla Dargis Spin 04/18/2022
By turns hilarious and grim. Go to Full Review Michael Sragow The New Yorker 01/14/2019
The movie isn't a testimonial or a valentine. It's unpredictable and galvanizing: an empathetic portrait of the artist that also unveils a trenchant view of an American family's dashed illusions. Go to Full Review Quentin Curtis Independent on Sunday 12/13/2017
Zwigoff's film rarely feels exploitative, and the fascination of Crumb and his family should not disguise the director's skill and sensitivity in marshalling his material. Go to Full Review R.L. Shaffer IGN DVD 10/14/2010
9/10
Crumb may be rough around the edges, even occasionally tedious, but what Zwigoff manages to uncover is honest, captivating and strangely visceral. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle M @RT77296778 Oct 2 Grasped the artistic notion underlying the inspiration, this documentary only did distractive justice over the titular subject with narrowed demographic to only entertain those who are familiar with his artworks and willingly digest the depth behind them. Now for those who are unfamiliar will be weirded out and recoil in disgust over the explicit panels that disturbingly blocks out any potential insight due to no longer caring, expressing differential senses of humor involved. (C+) See more Jason H @RT50328122 Aug 30 This is the best documentary I've seen. See more Tim R @RT83483413 Aug 11 I suppose if your thing is exploitative, voyeuristic movies about sad mentally ill pervs, this hits all of those bases. Otherwise, it's just exploiting a train wreck See more Steve L. @Stevio Jul 30 Creepy guy, creepy family. Fascinating. See more Alec B @Alec97 05/30/2025 The movie thankfully isn't interested in criticizing Crumb (despite the fact that they do interview his detractors) rather Zwigoff wants to drill down on a difficult artist as much as he can. See more Jack G @Jackkg30 09/21/2024 My personally favourite documentary. The tumult of genius, the power of art, and family abuse in all its surrealism. Just has straight balls. It exists outside of any label or genre. See more Read all reviews
Crumb

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Cast & Crew

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Terry Zwigoff

Director

Robert Crumb

Self

Aline Kominsky-Crumb

Self

Charles Crumb

Self

Maxon Crumb

Self

Albert Berger

Executive Producer

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Crumb

Crumb (1994) Crumb (1994) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff creates a complex but affectionate portrait of his longtime friend, underground cartoonist Robert Crumb. A notorious curmudgeon who would prefer to be alone with his fellow cartoonist wife Aline Kominsky-Crumb and his beloved vintage jazz records, Crumb reveals himself to be a complicated personality who suffered a troubled upbringing and harbors a philosophical opposition to the 1960s hippie underground that first celebrated his work.
Director
Terry Zwigoff
Producer
Terry Martinelli, Lynn O'Donnell, David Lynch
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics, Columbia Tristar
Production Co
Superior Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 21, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 20, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$19.9K
Runtime
1h 59m