You know, it may be "Just Crazy Enough"

Brooke Anna Leedy (Dolores), Chris Kattan (Dr. Fred MulBerry & Teddy the psych patient) and Writer/Director/Producer Lance McDaniel at the Q&A session after the Oklahoma City deadCENTER Film Festival screening of Just Crazy Enough. Photo by Robin Dorner

~ By Robin Dorner, Editor in Chief ~
Even before Lance McDaniel directed the film, Just Crazy Enough, he’d had a fabulous career in film, having won many accolades, credits and awards. He had produced a documentary about the first female Governor in Oklahoma called First & Female, worked on Oscar winning feature films, his feature length documentary, Widobago, won best Oklahoma film in 2007. He has many more feathers in his cap; he could have just sat still, but not Lance.

“I knew I wanted to write my own film scripts from the beginning,” said McDaniel in a recent interview with the Gayly. “Both feature films I have directed were based on scripts I co-wrote with my producing partner, Sean Lynch.”

Just Crazy Enough is the story of twins separated at birth. Ironically, one becomes a psychiatrist (Fred) and the other has lived his entire life in a psychiatric hospital (Teddy). Upon a chance encounter, Teddy finds he looks strangely like Fred, finds an opportunity to switch lives with him and escape as Fred. Of course neither knows they are related to the other, and Teddy proceeds to live Fred’s life for a couple of days.

During the course of the show, we’re not sure who really need more mental-health treatment anyway, Fred or Teddy.

Nurse Nancy (Eleanor Threatt-Hardy) is a carbon-copy of many a great psych nurse. Ned Ryerson (Jonathan Beck Reed) is a delusional avid reader believing himself to actually have lived as the characters in his books. He’ll have you convinced he is a psych patient in real life. (I know him personally; he’s not.)

“Many of my friends asked me ‘What was it like working with actors from Oklahoma,” said Chris Kattan. “And I was like, ‘Well, it was amazing and then there was this one guy, Jonathan Beck Reed, who was just unbelievable as an actor.”

Kattan plays both twin characters, Dr. Fredrick Mulberry and Teddy the mental patient.

“Chris [Kattan] was incredibly kind and generous to work with. We got along very well; we all did, and Lance [McDaniel] was amazing,” said Jonathan Beck Reed.” I have such respect and affection for both of those very talented men. They gave me the freedom and support to explore, and improvise. That's rare. I think 50% of my dialogue is improvised.”

Don’t think for one minute that because you have seen a movie about twins separated at birth (a.k.a. Twins with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DiVito) that you have seen any movie quite like this. This has substance, it’s funny and, despite its “G” rating, it is great even for adults.

All but two actors are native Oklahomans; Katan and the character of Lorna, the actress playing his wife (Susana Gibb). The remainder of the cast are all top-notch actors. And all are from Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma City is filled with great artists, musicians, athletes and business people that leverage their success to improve the city and to help those who need it most,” added McDaniel. McDaniel said his goal with deadCENTER is to build it into a huge local event that draws national attention. With work like this, it surely will.

Just Crazy Enough was filmed a year ago, had its debut at the deadCENTER film festival and is the team scheduled to go to the Cannes Film Festival market in France. It will hope to be picked up by major motion picture distribution company from there, so look for it in theaters soon.

Until then, visit www.justcrazyenough.com for more information about the film.