 Bubble Boy (2001) Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jimmy, who's spent his entire life in a plastic bubble because he lacks "immunities," and he enjoys his existence (micromanaged by overprotective and religiously zealous mother Swoosie Kurtz) until he falls in love with the girl next door. When she announces she intends to marry her be-mulleted boyfriend, Jimmy decides he must travel cross-country to Niagara Falls to declare his love and win the girl. Of course, this is a basic set-up for plenty of situtions wherein Jimmy's bubble creates havoc and/or humor—he gets hit by a bus, sending him flying gleefully through the air, etc. Along the way he encounters physical and emotional freaks of all kinds, which teaches him a lesson about his specialness. What takes it to a different level than Rat Race or any other movie of this ilk are the crazy subplots involving bikers, an Indian ice-cream-truck driver, and especially the religious cult (led by Fabio) who sees Jimmy as their saviour. This cult is introduced when Jimmy hitches a ride with them in their tour bus, where they perform an immensely sarcastic Osmonds-by-way-of-Godspell song called "Bright and Shiny." It's at this point that you realize how totally "fuck you" this movie is, especially given that it was churned out through one of Hollywood's most Hollywood pipelines. The plotting is contrived, but baldly so, and therefore it tends to elicit knowing smirks rather than exasperated groans. Gyllenhaal is good in the kind of role Jason Biggs will be playing for the rest of his life, but the film truly belongs to Swoosie Kurtz, who delivers easily her edgiest and funniest performance ever. It's ultimately a low-fat Edward Scissorhands with some Farrelly Brothers shit thrown into the mix, but Bubble Boy is still a lot more unique and memorable than it had any right to be.
Review by Aces O. Diffusion |