Review of Bubble Boy (2001) by Sergio E — 15 Jan 2010

What an amazing movie haven't had this much fun in a long time and these movies that do this are for keeps!! Funny as hell and it doesn't take itself seriously I loved that!! It doesn't go over the top anywhere !! All the actor where amazing!! none looked small they all shined!!

All in all, a great little underrated film!

The film's certainly not for all tastes, but will appeal to people who've liked John Waters' films from the past decade. Yes, it's politically incorrect. But that's a big part of the fun! Most of the jokes are delivered with a dry sense of irony (case in point, the guy in the ticket booth). The entire cast gives hilarious performances from Swoosie Kurtz in an outrageous psycho-mother performance to `Working's Arden Myrin as head-Lorraine, the psycho cult-follower. A big part of the fun is that all of the characters ARE psycho and off-kilter. Much like the TV-series `The Oblongs,' the psychos in this film aren't scarred by their shortcomings, they revel in them... Which is why it isn't offensive unless you're politically correct and easily offended.

It feels like this movie should have been made 20 years ago. It has a real '80s feel to it, and the multiple `Land of the Lost' references (the spoof scene is hysterical) feel about 15 years out of place. There's no gross-out sexual humor, which is both refreshing and unusual in this post-`There's Something About Mary' age of films. It just has a twisted-wholesome 80s sense about it.

My one and only complaint is the running time. At 83 mins, it left me wanting more. Many of the scenes seem choppy, as if big parts of the scenes are missing (Bubble Boy's confrontation with Dr. Phreak for one). The entire opening sequence seems as if it should have gone on longer, and instead they compensated with voice-overs and musical overdubs to push it forward faster.

An awesome film with a delightfully goofy plot. I did not find it offensive in any regard. In fact, I disagree with those who have called the film "stupid" or "dumb" or void of any real social commentary. In a nutshell, Almost everyone Jimmy encounters on his adventure is trapped in their own self imposed bubble. Truth is, we all find ways to insulate ourselves from the world, and impose "Bubbles" to convince ourselves of non-existent limitations that prevent us from being and doing what we want. The film's irony and beauty lies in the fact that while Jimmy's bubble is the most obvious, he is the free-est character in the film. He refuses to accept the limitations of his bubble, and will follow his heart no matter what the cost. How many of us can look in the mirror and say the same about ourselves? One of the least recognized film jewels of the century so far.

On his way to save his love from marrying the wrong man, BB (Bubble Boy) encounters adventures very rare for a young man in a bubble whose system could not tolerate even one germ:

. A bus load of cult members who boot him out of their bus when he accuses them of being a cult.

. A motorcyclist ex boy friend of his mother (who is in hot pursuit) who gives him a ride.

. Joins a band of freaks on a train who he saves from a vicious dwarf.

. An East Indian ice cream vendor who gives him a ride until an unfortunate encounter with a cow.

. Mud wrestles scantily clad beauties in order to win $ 500.00 to pay Pappy, an older person, to take him to Niagra Falls in his jalopy.

BB gets a lift in an air plane (piloted by Pappy's brother, Pippy) and bails out over Niagra Falls, goes over the falls, and races to the church just in time to stop the marriage ceremony and marry his one true love after finding out his mother deceived him about his condition.

This is the story of a boy named Jimmy Livingston who was born without an immune system. Because of this, he is forced to live in a bubble dome in his bedroom, which has led students at a local high school to nickname him Bubble Boy. But when Jimmy discovers that a new girl, Chloe, has moved in next door, he is immediately taken with her beauty. They immediately become fast friends, much to Mrs. Livingston's jealousy. One day, Chloe announces that she is leaving for Niagara Falls to marry Mark, a man who always ridiculed Jimmy. And so Jimmy builds a mobile bubble suit and sneaks off into the night, determined to stop the wedding before it is too late.

"Bubble Boy" is a comedy about a young man who was born without an immune system and has lived his life within a plastic bubble in his bedroom. When he finds out that the woman he has loved since childhood is about to be married at Niagara Falls, he builds a portable bubble suit and ventures into the outside world to win her affections.