Review of Bubble Boy (2001) by Chads. — 22 Nov 2005
"Bubble Boy" wants to have it both ways; tasteless, with a sweet underpinning, but for this story of a boy with an immunity disorder to really work, the filmmakers needed to be fearless like the people who made the underrated "Pumpkin".
To make fun of disabled people is a risky proposition and "Bubble Boy" cops out, choosing rather to make fun of Hinduism and foreign accents. There's also a missed opportunity to satirize a certain brand of Christian fundamentalism, the hypocritical kind; which triggered a bout of deja vu, and then I remembered, oh yeah, "Saved", another film that played it too safe.
"Bubble Boy" seems more like material for a pre-"Hairspray" John Waters vehicle than a mainstream flick, but it's worth seeing because Jake Gyllenhaal is on the verge of stardom.
Maggie's brother is immensely likable, even when he's parroting, "500 dollahs!" Ever Carradine should've played his love interest.
This review of Bubble Boy (2001) was written by Chads. on 22 Nov 2005.
Bubble Boy has generally received mixed reviews.
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