The Gods Must Be Crazy poster & wallpaper

Brian O'Shaughnessy, Fanyana H. Sidumo, Jamie Uys

A Kalahari bushman discovers a Coke bottle, thrown from a passing plane, in the middle of the desert, which he believes is a gift from the gods. The gift proves to be more of a curse than a blessing w...( read more  read more... )hen the tribesmen begin to fight over it and eventually use it as a weapon. To keep peace in the village, the tribesman decides to take the bottle to the end of the earth and throw it back to the gods.

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79% liked it

43,912 ratings

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95% liked it

19 critics

PG, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Jamie Uys

Release Date: January 1, 1980

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (2,382)

  • stopitgoaway
    November 15, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    No other film I ever saw has been able to show, so well, that "civilized" man lives in TOO COMPLEX A WORLD.. the bushmen have it ok.. technology is not needed, al these SURPLUS HUMANS THAT COVER THE GLOBE ARE NOT NEEDED! ABANDON YOUR TECHNOLOGY! ABANDON AGRICULTURE!! Ok, well i'm...( read more) not abandoning these things either; I've grown so attached to my films, photography, reading, etc.

    The technical aspects of this film may at first bother you, when I first saw this film about 5 years ago, I knew then that the editing was a bit sloppy, or.. maybe not sloppy, but not seamless, how about.. but it doesn't matter - what matters foremost is that the idea, the communication GETS ACROSS.. it does. I may have "the message" of this film all wrong but that's ok, because it's up to me to have my own interpretation! it doesn't have to be the same as yours. what a wonderful life the bushmen have; they don't have to worry about being old, insurance, paperwork, jobs, bills, phones, electricity, car keys, etc. - granted, their life would NOT be for everyone but most people on this planet don't have it easy; in fact, few do, and I suspect that they are not "happy" or "fulfilled" and I don't care.. I'm not going to cry over the plight of any humans whose purpose for existing was/is largely an afterthought.. think about why, before you make more people.. think about the facts that they may never like you, that they may want to die at 16 years of age, that they might want to join an organization that harbors beliefs which conflict utterly with yours, that they might want to be an anti-humanity activist (contact me if the latter is the case with YOU, and I will tell you how you can help me with my propaganda)

    The bushmen are PART OF SOMETHING, they have a way of living that works for them, and that's something ALL "civilized" "societies" NEVER DEVELOPED, and now it's rapidly becoming too late - populations are swelling, "resources" are being taxed, some to the point of nonexistence (or soon anyway)..

    Personally, I'd rather be in a situation like the bushmen. I don't feel any need to live to see 50, 60, 70 years of age.. Why? What's the point? So one can procreate? And see their offspring procreate? On this planet? With what it's becoming, and the people that are responsible? No. no reason I can see to contribute to a population which is already way, way out of hand.

    Right.. there is a story in The Gods Must Be Crazy, and I must really like it, too, as I can't count how many times i've seen the film.. it may be that some of the story was simply a device which would allow the filmmaker's preoccupations to be spread around, maybe not. again, this is my possible interpretation, which is neither right or wrong, necessarily. make your own conclusions; I urge you to see this film. if the technical aspects are too much for you to handle, then go watch some drivel like Pearl Harbor, I'm quite sure Ben Affleck has the answer to all your little problems.

    In fact - this movie may have NO MESSAGE, but I think it has many. and this is something I like, is that there isn't ONE MESSAGE FORCED ON ME, which is the case with so, so, many excuses-for-films i've witnessed.. of course, a closing reminder that GOOD movies and BAD movies truly do not exist - rather, there are only films, and YOUR TAKE ON THEM. keep all that in mind.

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  • PvtCaboose91
    April 30, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "He talks about an evil thing."


    The Gods Must Be Crazy is a reassuringly unique and delightfully disarming little cinematic treasure. This low-budget 1980 South African comedy emerged virtually out of no-where; silently tiptoeing into worldwide cinemas to beco

    ...( read more)me one of the biggest international hits of the decade! Owing to enthusiastic word of mouth, The Gods Must Be Crazy broke box office records in Japan, South America and all over Europe, eventually developing into a cult favourite. Written, produced, directed, filmed and edited by Jamie Uys, this pseudo-documentary is fundamentally a National Geographic special infused with hysterical slapstick and amusing scenarios depicting culture clashes. With its light-hearted slapstick tone, inventive cinematic techniques and splendid locations, this is a sweet pleasure guaranteed to provide a wonderful evening of delightful entertainment.


    In a nutshell: The Gods Must Be Crazy concerns the misadventures of Xixo (played by African tribal actor N!xau). The story begins with a soothing, oh-so-BBC narration describing the idyllic lifestyle of the Kalahari Bushmen. These people are a primitive race whose lives are simple and contented, and they are neither greedy nor cruel. They hunt for food, they share everything with each other, and their lives lack any sort of technology. Their blissful isolation and obliviousness is drastically disrupted when a careless airplane pilot tosses a Coca Cola bottle out the window while in flight above the Kalahari. The bottle spins elaborately to earth, landing near Xi during a hunting expedition. Believing it to be a gift from the Gods, the tribe employ this Coke bottle for dozens of uses: it becomes a fire-starter, a cooking utensil, a musical instrument, a patternmaker, and - most of all - an object of bitter controversy. The bottle generates jealously, greed and violence, igniting Xi's decision to return this evil object to the Gods by throwing it off the edge of the earth. Xi therefore embarks on a long odyssey, experiencing the civilised world for the very first time.

    Meanwhile, journalist Kate Thompson (Prinsloo) accepts a remote teaching post in a Botswana school. Upon arrival, she's met by micro-biologist Andrew Steyn (Weyers) who immediately takes a liking for her.

    There's also a minor problem with a terrorist leader and his gang of bandits who are being pursued by government militia. Needless to say, these separate stories become utterly intertwined by the time the film reaches its climax.


    "He spoke long and earnestly to the baboon and explained, that is an evil thing you've got there, and it brought much unhappiness to my family and it will surely bring much unhappiness to yours unless you give it back to me and let me throw it away. He spoke so earnestly that the baboon began to take note and dropped the evil thing. He said, that is a very wise thing you have done."


    To further expound upon the plot would be redundant exposition to the fans and churlish spoiling to those who haven't yet indulged in this filmic pleasure. The Gods Must Be Crazy is more than just a straightforward, brainless comedy; it delivers a unique, playful little story told in an utterly charming style with slapstick bowing deeply to Buster Keaton and lovely homespun humour. In no time a viewer will find themselves bathing in a delightful brew of sweet characters, appealing humour and innovative filmmaking techniques.


    Part quasi-documentary, part farce, and part philosophical treatise, The Gods Must Be Crazy remains a highly original, offbeat and poignant cinematic gem. Writer-director-producer-editor Jamie Uys displays immense competence in the creation of sight gags and slapstick gags to die for. Remember the days of Charlie Chaplin and the aforementioned Buster Keaton, when physical gags were all the rage? This type of slapstick pervades this hysterical film. The more elaborate laughs necessitate a great deal of preparation, but this preparation pays off in spades! A number of sequences flaunting an indecisive jeep are especially notable in this category. Laughs are also generated through the sheer naivety of the Bushmen. For instance, they perceive cars as peculiar animals and the smoke behind a jet as flatulence of the Gods. Far better laughs are hidden within, but are far too delicious to spoil. Watch this little treat yourself, and experience the masterful humour first hand.


    For additional laughs, Uys inserts feeble cinematic techniques (which may or may not be intentional). Clunky editing, dodgy special effects, and obvious reversing or speeding up of the film keeps an audience inside the joke. However, there are flaws - aside from the frequent technical faults, there are lethal problems with pacing. During the first 20 minutes in particular, mere narration is incapable of engaging an audience. It takes the best part of an hour for the best laughs to kick in, and the lead-up may test a viewer's patience. In addition, the Kalahari Desert tribe is a total fabrication - there was never an idyllic tribe of Bushmen untouched by technology, and they certainly aren't as clueless about the ways of the white man. In reality, South African civilisation had already invaded the desert. This fact unfortunately removes part of the film's gloss. In any case, the filmmakers nevertheless possessed the creativity to invent a tribe and employ a naturalistic approach to make it seem genuine.


    "He never seen a wall in his life, now he got walls all around him. He gonna die for sure."


    The star of the show is, of course, the cheerful N!xau as the bushman who finds life outside the desert strange and complicated. The late N!xau was a famous tribal actor, himself an outsider who lived with his three wives in Africa. During N!xau's screen-time he sports a grin that appears to say "I have no idea what's happening, but it's a lot of fun!"

    Marius Weyers plays the micro-biologist who suffers nervous attacks whenever he's around Sandra Prinsloo's Kate Thompson. This premise leads to a few decent slapstick sequences, executed superbly by Weyers.


    All in all, The Gods Must Be Crazy amorously blends Kalahari legend, an "East meets West" plot, a pleasant love story, and great slapstick. This delightful film is perhaps one of the best slapstick comedies since Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Plot elements may be slender, but the result really works! One could analyse The Gods Must Be Crazy from a cultural/sociological standpoint and discover a great deal of patriarchal and imperialist connotations ranging from docile to disturbing. If you're planning to waste time trekking down that particular avenue, good luck - I won't join you. To me, Uys' one-man-band film is a delightfully charming and low-key comedy that continues to entertain as much as it did when it first burst onto cinema screens a few decades ago.


    Followed by a number of sequels, beginning with The Gods Must Be Crazy II.


    "That morning, he saw the ugliest person he'd ever come across. She was as pale as something that had crawled out of a rotting log; her hair was quite gruesome, long and stringy and white, as if she was very old; she was very big - he'd have to take the whole day to find enough food to feed her."
  • pier007
    March 21, 2008
    pier007
    over-the-top, amazing, clever, but above all hilarious analysis of our humanity. The curious and naive bushman N!xau effortlessly steals the show. one of my childhood favorites.
  • AgentLexi2132
    August 20, 2007
    AgentLexi2132
    Makes a fine addition to my collection.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 5, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    I found this movie cute and slapstick. It wasn't the roll-on-the-floor-laughing experience that some have described. The fast-motion goofiness made me chuckle briefly.
  • daintydimples7
    November 23, 2009
    daintydimples7
    great movie! lots of excitement!!!!!
  • jxxx84
    November 7, 2009
    jxxx84
    This is just awsome and hilarious. I have seen it many times and I haven't get borred of it yet
  • Arianeta
    November 4, 2009
    Arianeta
    I was need to see a commedy and here is my choice. The Gods Must Be Crazy is a delightfully funny entertaining movie with many funny scenes that made me laught a lot!!! Original story so clever and hilarious at the same time with one word unique Set in Botswana and South Africa,...( read more) and tells the story about an African bushman who discovers an empty Coca Cola bottle that has been thrown from an airplane and the Bushman believes that anything that comes from the sky must be from the Gods. He has no idea what it is or what its purpose is. He eventually starts calling it "the evil thing" when his family wants to use it for themselves and squabbles develop. There are several side stories, as well. This makes you wonder how "civilization "has improved our lives. It's not hard to understand why the film was such sensation all over the wolrd, as it's possible to watch the movie without understanding any of the dialogue. And at the end I think that have to be crazy someone not to be charmed and fascinated by this movie. So you can take a coca cola sit comfortable watch the movie and smile.
  • nateb1121
    October 16, 2009
    nateb1121
    lol this is one of the best movies ever
  • svetdrem
    September 29, 2009
    svetdrem
    A paradox on the social development and advent of civilization.It reflects very intricate expression of feelings and way of thinking with advent of time. Those drifted away to cities or those left behind in time...

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Comments

  • kbf16
    May 31, 2007
    kbf16
    1 of theee best movies on planet earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was at a friends house when i 1st watched it and her dad went and got stuff and the movie at a rental place and came home and we watched and still laugh at it today!!
  • areew
    March 24, 2007
    areew
    I heard N!xau was a real bushman who didn't even understand money during the making of the first film.
  • chura88
    November 10, 2006
    chura88
    HAHAHA SUPER SUPER FUNNY, i loved this movie soooooooooo much, its amazing, its so clever, haha i recommend this movie for any1 that wants to have a funny time, haha top 10 of my fav movies!
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The Gods Must Be Crazy Trivia

  • what film had a lot of international success just because of a falling coke bottle   Answer »
  • In the gods must be crazy 2, the Bush people refer to an object that has brought them grief because of the jealousy and chaos it caused. They called the object The thing, what was the thing:  Answer »
  • In the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy", what fell from the airplane in the beginning of the movie?  Answer »
  • What caused all the trouble in the movie "The gods must be crazy"?  Answer »
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