Boys on the Side (1995)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer (WGA):

Don Roos (written by)

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A motion picture that celebrates the art of survival, the gift of laughter and the miracle of friendship.

Plot:

Jane is a night club singer, out of work. Robin is a quirky real estate agent looking for a ride-share to accompany her to California...

Plot Keywords:

Lesbian | AIDS | Road | Childbirth | Pregnant Prisoner

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Whoopi Goldberg	...	Jane Deluca
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Robin
Drew Barrymore	...	Holly Pulchik-Lincoln
Matthew McConaughey	...	Abe Lincoln, Tucson Police Officer
James Remar	...	Alex
Billy Wirth	...	Nick
Anita Gillette	...	Elaine, Robin's Mother
Dennis Boutsikaris	...	Massarelli, Prosecuting Attorney
Estelle Parsons	...	Louise the Psychic
Amy Aquino	...	Anna
Stan Egi	...	Henry
Stephen Gevedon	...	Johnny Figgis
Amy Ray	...	Indigo Girl
Emily Saliers	...	Indigo Girl
Jude Ciccolella	...	Jerry

Also Known As:

Avec ou sans hommes (France)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Bendix Diner - Route 17 and Williams Avenue, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Alcor Films

Trivia:

Holly calls her baby girl Mary Todd, which makes her full name: Mary Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's wife).

Goofs:

Continuity: The coconut drink during the mini-golf scene.

Quotes:

Robin: I don't know what it is but there's something that goes on between women. You men know that because it's the same for you. I'm not saying one sex is better then the other. I'm just saying, like speaks to like. Love or whatever doesn't always keep. So you found out what does, if you're lucky.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ken Adam: Designing Bond (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

WILLOW

Sooooo chick-flick

Count the chick-flick conventions: The revenge on the abusive boyfriend; the three so-different young women bonding; the mother-daughter conflicts; the road trip; the scene where somebody sings "Happy Birthday" to somebody amid much general rejoicing; the adorable baby; the tear-wringing incurable-disease character; etc. It's well-written -- Don Roos, who later wrote the superb screenplay to "The Opposite of Sex," puts more curve on his dialog than most toiling in this genre -- but as with many sisters-united-in-adversity epics, it keeps wanting to yank emotions out of you rather than earn them honestly. The three leads are good, a young Matthew McConnaughey isn't yet annoying, and there are nice turns from Estelle Parsons and Anita Gillette, a Broadway baby decades earlier who matured into a proficient character actress. But Herb Ross is in his take-no-chances mode, and too much of the picture feels programmed and rote.