A throw-away comedy that is hit and miss at best, "Bubble Boy" gets a terrific performance from Jake Gyllenhaal and leading lady Marley Shelton.
Jake plays Jimmy Livingston, who was born with an immune system and without a normal Mother. As played by Swoozie Kurtz, Mrs. Livingston loves Ronald Reagan, cleanliness and abstinence. So not only does his Mother literally rule his entire world, (unfortunately not hard to do since he's confined to the house), she tries to keep him further repressed by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance when he's beginning to have normal teenage sexual impulses. This is further explored when the girl next door, Chloe (Marley Shelton) begins a friendship with Jimmy. Naturally his Mother dislikes her intensely.
Chloe announces she is marrying her insensitive lout of a boyfriend Mark (played by Dave Sheridan, who was 'Doofy' in "Scary Movie") and that the wedding is taking place in Niagara Falls (they live in Palmdale, California). Jimmy is naturally devastated but decides to go to Niagara Falls to stop the wedding.
Up till this point, there were almost no scenes that did not work. Once Jimmy is on the way, the movie makes some unfortunate choices along the way and maybe half of them do not deliver at all.
Naturally it has a good ending, a very good ending in fact. Jake is going to be a leading actor someday if he decides to stay in show business. His eyes are perfectly clear and expressive. He allows himself to be emotionally available but to his and the movies' credit, his illness is never treated as a joke, but its also never treated seriously either.
Marley Shelton annoyed me no end in "Sugar & Spice" but she's quite good here. Kurtz is good but her character is so over the top that its probably easy for an actor to just let go and not have to worry about being too larger-than-life.
Shining star is Jake, and its always nice to hear The Beach Boys "Wouldn't It Be Nice" so I will give the movie 6/10.
Jake plays Jimmy Livingston, who was born with an immune system and without a normal Mother. As played by Swoozie Kurtz, Mrs. Livingston loves Ronald Reagan, cleanliness and abstinence. So not only does his Mother literally rule his entire world, (unfortunately not hard to do since he's confined to the house), she tries to keep him further repressed by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance when he's beginning to have normal teenage sexual impulses. This is further explored when the girl next door, Chloe (Marley Shelton) begins a friendship with Jimmy. Naturally his Mother dislikes her intensely.
Chloe announces she is marrying her insensitive lout of a boyfriend Mark (played by Dave Sheridan, who was 'Doofy' in "Scary Movie") and that the wedding is taking place in Niagara Falls (they live in Palmdale, California). Jimmy is naturally devastated but decides to go to Niagara Falls to stop the wedding.
Up till this point, there were almost no scenes that did not work. Once Jimmy is on the way, the movie makes some unfortunate choices along the way and maybe half of them do not deliver at all.
Naturally it has a good ending, a very good ending in fact. Jake is going to be a leading actor someday if he decides to stay in show business. His eyes are perfectly clear and expressive. He allows himself to be emotionally available but to his and the movies' credit, his illness is never treated as a joke, but its also never treated seriously either.
Marley Shelton annoyed me no end in "Sugar & Spice" but she's quite good here. Kurtz is good but her character is so over the top that its probably easy for an actor to just let go and not have to worry about being too larger-than-life.
Shining star is Jake, and its always nice to hear The Beach Boys "Wouldn't It Be Nice" so I will give the movie 6/10.