You're Driving Me Crazy: A Strange Little Time Capsule

Look, if you’re looking for a smooth, logical story, You're Driving Me Crazy is going to make you want to throw your remote out the window. It’s definitely not for the kind of person who needs a script to make sense from start to finish. But if you dig movies that feel like they were cobbled together in a dark room with nothing but black coffee and panic, you’ll probably find some weird charm here. 🍿

Dave Fleischer is running around on screen doing his thing, and honestly, the man’s energy is the only thing keeping the whole house of cards from collapsing. There’s a scene about halfway through—or at least I think it was halfway—where he just stares at a door for way too long. It’s not even a dramatic stare. It’s like he forgot his line and the editor just decided to keep it in because they didn't have anything better.

It’s funny how some of these older films feel so much more alive just because they're falling apart at the seams. It’s got that same frantic, restless energy you see in The Big Party, where everyone is talking over each other and nobody seems to know where the camera is. Sometimes it’s charming. Other times it’s just a headache.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of You're Driving Me Crazy (1931) through its definitive frames.

The pacing is, well, let's call it aggressive. One minute you’re in a quiet room, and the next, everyone is screaming about something that isn't even in the frame. You start to wonder if there’s a whole subplot missing that was cut out during lunch. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in Three Live Ghosts, though that one had a bit more of a backbone.

Random notes from my notebook:

• That hat. Why is the hat so big? It distracts from every single conversation.
• The lighting in the hallway scene changes three times in one shot. Someone definitely tripped over a lamp.
• The background music is just loud enough to be annoying but not loud enough to cover up the bad audio.
• I’m pretty sure that’s the same chair they used in The Barber's Daughter.

I don't think this movie was trying to be deep or anything. It’s just trying to exist, which is more than I can say for some of the stuff coming out today. It doesn't have the grit of On the Border, and it certainly isn't as sleek as some of its contemporaries, but it has a pulse. Even if that pulse is a little irregular.

Don't try to analyze the plot too hard. You'll lose. Just lean back, accept the flickering frames, and enjoy the ride. Or don't. It’s not like it cares if you like it or not. 🤷‍♂️