Boys on the Side
3/4
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore, Matthew McConaughey, James Remar
Rated R Strong Language and Some Sexuality
"Boys on the Side" has too much plot. I realize for a narrative film, such a statement seems all wrong. But in this case, it's the truth. Well, sort of. The problems come from how director Herbert Ross chooses to move the story forward and the deficiencies in Don Roos's script. This is not a particularly well-written movie. Whenever something happens in the story, it reeks of contrivance and shatters the spell that the three lead actresses cast. Fortunately, Ross concentrates on character interaction, and that's where the film shines.
Jane (Goldberg) is a lounge singer who, after she's fired, decides to pack up and head out west in the hopes that her career will take off. She answers an ad in the newspaper for someone to drive out west with. Her name is Robin (Parker), a realtor headed in the same direction with the hope of better professional success. Along the way, they make a stop in Pittsburgh so Jane can say goodbye to her friend Holly (Barrymore). While there they get into a fight with Holly's thuggish boyfriend. When they find out that he died in the scuffle, they go on the run. Now they're fugitives and hide out in Arizona. But each of the women has a secret that could ruin their friendship.
What saves the film are the performances. Goldberg, Barrymore and especially Parker are very good at creating these women and fully inhabiting them. Mary-Louise Parker is the strongest of the three, playing a woman so obsessed with hiding from her past and her secrets that she can barely function. Whoopi Goldberg is torn apart by being in love the one woman she can't have. And Drew Barrymore is also winning as the child-like Holly. The three women become an unconventional surrogate family, and it's a pleasure to spend time with them.
If only the same amount of care was taken behind the scenes. The complications in the plot seem to be thrown in to keep the audience from getting bored. In reality, the characters are strong enough that a plot will only serve as a detriment. Certain movies, such as "Carriers" or "Before Sunrise" are fine without a story. This is one of them. And it would be had Ross and Roos had the confidence and good sense not to throw in such unnecessary silliness. Also worth mentioning is the misogyny and homophobia during some scenes. For a movie with such a positive view of lesbians and female independence, why is there all this business with "needing" a man? These scenes are not indicative of a character's point of view. They appear to be values that the film agrees with. It made me squirmy.
Recommending "Boys on the Side" is a tough call. Jane, Robin and Holly are lovable characters that everyone should meet. But in order to do so, you have to witness some truly bad melodrama. It's a tough call, but I'm recommending it because more than anything, it is the characters that I will remember, not the poorly motivated plot complications.
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore, Matthew McConaughey, James Remar
Rated R Strong Language and Some Sexuality
"Boys on the Side" has too much plot. I realize for a narrative film, such a statement seems all wrong. But in this case, it's the truth. Well, sort of. The problems come from how director Herbert Ross chooses to move the story forward and the deficiencies in Don Roos's script. This is not a particularly well-written movie. Whenever something happens in the story, it reeks of contrivance and shatters the spell that the three lead actresses cast. Fortunately, Ross concentrates on character interaction, and that's where the film shines.
Jane (Goldberg) is a lounge singer who, after she's fired, decides to pack up and head out west in the hopes that her career will take off. She answers an ad in the newspaper for someone to drive out west with. Her name is Robin (Parker), a realtor headed in the same direction with the hope of better professional success. Along the way, they make a stop in Pittsburgh so Jane can say goodbye to her friend Holly (Barrymore). While there they get into a fight with Holly's thuggish boyfriend. When they find out that he died in the scuffle, they go on the run. Now they're fugitives and hide out in Arizona. But each of the women has a secret that could ruin their friendship.
What saves the film are the performances. Goldberg, Barrymore and especially Parker are very good at creating these women and fully inhabiting them. Mary-Louise Parker is the strongest of the three, playing a woman so obsessed with hiding from her past and her secrets that she can barely function. Whoopi Goldberg is torn apart by being in love the one woman she can't have. And Drew Barrymore is also winning as the child-like Holly. The three women become an unconventional surrogate family, and it's a pleasure to spend time with them.
If only the same amount of care was taken behind the scenes. The complications in the plot seem to be thrown in to keep the audience from getting bored. In reality, the characters are strong enough that a plot will only serve as a detriment. Certain movies, such as "Carriers" or "Before Sunrise" are fine without a story. This is one of them. And it would be had Ross and Roos had the confidence and good sense not to throw in such unnecessary silliness. Also worth mentioning is the misogyny and homophobia during some scenes. For a movie with such a positive view of lesbians and female independence, why is there all this business with "needing" a man? These scenes are not indicative of a character's point of view. They appear to be values that the film agrees with. It made me squirmy.
Recommending "Boys on the Side" is a tough call. Jane, Robin and Holly are lovable characters that everyone should meet. But in order to do so, you have to witness some truly bad melodrama. It's a tough call, but I'm recommending it because more than anything, it is the characters that I will remember, not the poorly motivated plot complications.
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