For the Boys is a movie that isn't sure what it wants to be. We have the clichéd showbiz biopic told in typical flashback following two people who don't seem to really like each other over fifty years set to the backdrops of World War II through Vietnam. We also have a look at the Red Scare, followed by the partners inevitable break up and reunion. In between, you have Bette Midler belting out some wonderful songs and James Caan standing there looking generally annoyed.
This movie essentially sinks under the lack of chemistry between Caan and Midler, and their lack of believability as a comic duo. They play a variety act where only Midler seems to have any talent, despite the fact that Caan is supposed to be the big name of the group. When Midler isn't singing, she and Caan fight, yell and bicker. It isn't particularly fun or memorable. The movie gradually becomes very anti-war as well, depicting American soldiers in Vietnam as coarse and vulgar.
Fans of Midler will like this movie just to hear her sing, and the movie lifts during those parts, only to sink again once things turn back to the drama.
This movie essentially sinks under the lack of chemistry between Caan and Midler, and their lack of believability as a comic duo. They play a variety act where only Midler seems to have any talent, despite the fact that Caan is supposed to be the big name of the group. When Midler isn't singing, she and Caan fight, yell and bicker. It isn't particularly fun or memorable. The movie gradually becomes very anti-war as well, depicting American soldiers in Vietnam as coarse and vulgar.
Fans of Midler will like this movie just to hear her sing, and the movie lifts during those parts, only to sink again once things turn back to the drama.