VideoDetective.com
Boys On The Side (1995)
Released By: Warner Home Video   Rating: R   In Theaters: N/A
Your video will start shortly...



More Videos:
Preview Details
User Reviews
Studio: Warner Home Video
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Herbert Ross
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: N/A
Cast: Drew Barrymore, James Remar, Mary-Louise Parker, Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey
Published ID: 5499
UPC: 085391357025,
Plot: This emotion-filled story stars Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Drew Barrymore as three women from different walks of life who find comfort in each other through tragedy. Parker plays Robin, an HIV-positive real estate executive who meets Jane (Goldberg), a lesbian lounge singer on her way to the West Coast who needs a driver. Robin volunteers for the job, and along the way, they stop in Pittsburgh to visit her friend Holly (Barrymore), who is pregnant and abused by her boyfriend. In an attempt to save Holly, all three decide to head West together to begin a new life. But they get only as far as Arizona before Robin falls ill and the three are forced to learn to rely on one another for growth and emotional sustenance. Jane, though concerned about Robin's condition, also finds herself with a romantic interest in her ailing companion. Holly confronts her need to be with abusive men, while Robin comes to grips with her fear of being alone and the realization of her own impending death. Fans of Herbert Ross' earlier Steel Magnolias (1989) might appreciate this movie, which tackles some of the same themes. Sometimes referred to as a feminist road movie, the film deals with women who find one another in a time of crisis and realize that the bonds among women are more powerful than any of life's obstacles. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
Nice & Quick
Added 4/7/2009

got my package days after purchasing, nice & quick. Disc and package in decent condition
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Well,,,,
Added 10/25/2008

This is a good movie to watch with your girlfriends. It tells of a trio of friends who come from completely different backgrounds who struggle and stick together. Very touching story.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
excellent movie in excellent condition
Added 9/23/2008

I'm always loved this movie! I saw it the first time many years ago and I am still empressed with the quality of work and the how this subject matter was handled. The stars really were well chosen and each scene llicited some emotion which is always a real indicator of the quality of the performances. Powerful!!!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Boys left on the side of the road to rot like some old high line pole
Added 7/4/2008

Boys on the Side tantalizes with an intriguing cast and concept. Though you might get to see a little bit of what Letterman saw on his birthday, mostly the movie doesn't deliver.

What you do get is kind of a female buddy/road picture that morphs into an AIDS picture. It takes that and the other serious issue of domestic violence, but doesn't really handle either one well. Still, there are some surprising and unexpected moments that do work, and it is hard not to like Drew Barrymore, even if the movie is not so great. When BOTS gets all serious, it really bogs down. Robin (Mary-Louise Parker) speaks in such a low whisper that you can't even hear what she is saying. Hasn't she ever heard of a stage whisper? Everything gets much too serious. In the film's beginning Robin really did a great job of negotiating between Holly Pulchik (Drew Barrymore) and her drug dealing boyfriend, Nick, (Billy Wirth). It was a surprising scene, a positive take on Real Estate agents, and Mary-Louise really closed the deal. But like an agent who closes a deal and then lets it fester in escrow and won't return your calls, the rest of the movie doesn't live up to the promise of the beginning.

Jane Deluca (Whoopi Goldberg) is a rock singer and in the opening she sings Piece of My Heart. I like her version better than Faith Hill's because she at least had heard the original by Janis Joplin and was striving for a similar effect, unlike Faith who hadn't heard it and didn't care.

There is another scene where Jane gets a piano and uses it to serenade Robin with Superstar, the Leon Russell song that was a hit for Karen Carpenter. Whoopi does it very well, not technically, as it is rather fragile, but all the more heartfelt for being so. It is touching because earlier Robin confessed to singing Carpenters songs and was met with a cynical rolling of the eyes. It reminded me of where Whitney Houston sang I Will Always Love You to Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard after having heard the original Dolly Parton version on a juke box in a country western bar.

Drew Barrymore is not beautiful but she is cute as a button and her winning personality warms the cockles of my heart. I hear she is heading up a new project about roller derby girls, and has already gotten loads of talent on board.

Whoopi is now on The View, and is really a diplomat. Unlike Rosie or even the Whoopi of recent past, she is very respectful of others views and perspectives. What happened? She is kind of the buffer zone now. Whoopi cushion?

Mary-Louise Parker was just in the smash hit, Sex in the City. Wait, that was Sarah Jessica Parker. Never mind.

The movie made me think of a million things, but if I followed all the tangents to their illogical conclusions, we'll be here all week. Or I will, as you will have clicked on another link long ago.

10 Films Featuring Whoopi, Drew, and Mary-Louise

Girl, Interrupted (1999) .... Valerie Owens, RN was portrayed by Whoopi.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) .... Delilah Abraham was Whoopi.
Ghost (1990) .... Oda Mae Brown was a role that won an Oscar for Whoopi.
The Color Purple (1985) .... Celie Johnson was also played by Whoopi, and she was nominated for an Oscar for her leading role.
Naked in New York (1993) .... Joanne White was played by Mary-Louise, and Whoopi was Tragedy Mask on Theater Wall.
Fried Green Tomatoes (Widescreen Collector's Edition) (1991) .... Ruth Jamison was played by Mary-Louise Parker.
Charlie's Angels (Special Edition) (2000) .... Dylan Sanders was played by Drew. Very bad, but watchable if only for Drew and Lucy Liu. Ditto squared for Full Throttle.
Riding in Cars with Boys (Special Edition) (2001) .... Beverly Donofrio was Drew. How about Riding in Cars with Boys on the Side?
Poison Ivy (1992) .... Ivy as played by Drew was really poison, but HOT poison.
The Wedding Singer - Totally Awesome Edition (1998) .... Julia was Drew and Adam Sandler was the Wedding Singer. Totally awesome chemistry. Don't like Sandler's comedy style but here it was totally awesome, the exception to the fool.

One last quote, Robin and Holly discussing the folly of gays falling for straights and Jane's lost, last love:

Robin: But this person who dumped her, she was gay, right?
Holly: Yeah, but even with gay girls there are no guarantees. They're very emotional. That's about all I know. They love uniforms and don't break their hearts.
Robin: Uniforms?
Holly: Oh, yeah, all kinds. Especially UPS.

1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
You could have been Donna Reid in another life!
Added 4/7/2008

Excellent movie is all I can say. The movie opens with Whoopi Goldberg as a musician in a club with not a lot of appreciation. When a member of her band realizes the club doesnt want them to perform there anymore, she realizes she needs a different plan. With her stubborn humor and her way or the highway attitude, she goes it alone. She answers an ad by Mary Louise Parker to drive cross country to California where both women plan to start a different existence, for very different reasons. Along the way, Whoopi Goldberg wants to check in on her friend Drew Barrymore, who is being abused by her no good drug dealing and using boyfriend.

Surprises along the way make you bond with all of the characters for different reasons. Robin (Mary Louise Parker) is likeable for the same reason that Charlotte was likeable for sex and the city. She is a perfectionist, everything needs a plan, and she has high hopes for the future. Holly (Drew Barrymore) is very flirtatious and young and sexy in her prime. While she wallows for her boyfriend that she left behind, she realizes what else life has in store for her. Whoopi Goldberg (Jane) is kind of like the parental unit that holds it all together. Amongst a tragedy all of the women witness, they form a bond that is stronger than any relationship they have ever formed with a man.

Great movie, a chick flick on certain terms, but not the expected. Definitly a must see.

0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Nice & Quick
Added 4/7/2009

got my package days after purchasing, nice & quick. Disc and package in decent condition
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Well,,,,
Added 10/25/2008

This is a good movie to watch with your girlfriends. It tells of a trio of friends who come from completely different backgrounds who struggle and stick together. Very touching story.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
excellent movie in excellent condition
Added 9/23/2008

I'm always loved this movie! I saw it the first time many years ago and I am still empressed with the quality of work and the how this subject matter was handled. The stars really were well chosen and each scene llicited some emotion which is always a real indicator of the quality of the performances. Powerful!!!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Photos


There are currently no photos.
Shopping
IDPriceImageUrlPurchaseUrlIdTypeBindingStore
DVD
$9.98 @ Amazon
VHS
$4.93 @ Amazon
VHS
$1.00 @ Amazon
VHS
@ Amazon
DVD
$9.98 @ Amazon