Crumb

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Crumb

R

1994

1h 59m

Documentary

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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.

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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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.

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Manohla Dargis

Spin

04/18/2022

By turns hilarious and grim.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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+)

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Jason H

@RT50328122 Aug 30

This is the best documentary I've seen.

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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

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Steve L.

@Stevio Jul 30

Creepy guy, creepy family. Fascinating.

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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.

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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.

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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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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