Review of Boys Don't Cry (2000) by Dan S — 18 Oct 2013

An over-rated, heavily manipulative film detailing the true story of Teena Brandon, a woman trying to be a man and how she makes new friends in Nebraska, fooling them into thinking she's a man - and thus starting a relationship with a young, troubled woman there.

By only briefly mentioning her criminal past but not detailing it, it feels like director Peirce is only showing one side of the story, that being that Teena was an innocent, likable human being who everyone should've loved.

The only thing that elevates this movie to slightly above average territory is three standout performances from Hilary Swank (just unbelievable here - she deserves her Oscar), Chloe Sevigny (showing a full, human character), and Peter Sarsgaard (a pure psychotic, out-of-control performance that deserves as much recognition as the first two).

This has the potential to be a powerful, stirring picture, but instead I couldn't help but feel like we were only seeing one side of this person, as well as the fact that why she feels like she's really a man is poorly, poorly detailed.

While I admire the excellent acting as well as some of the gritty scenes, I can't quite recommend that this movie is worth it due to sheer manipulation by its director by failing to detail the past of the most important character in the film.