MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating (Linear 0 to 10): 4.6
Date Released: 8/6/93 Running Length: 1:24 Rated: PG-13 (Mature themes, body parts, language)
Starring: Andrew Lowery, Traci Lind, Danny Zorn, Edward Herrmann,
Mary Beth Hurt
Director: Bob Balaban
Producer: Sean S. Cunningham
Screenplay: Dean Lorey
Music: Harry Manfredini
Released by Touchstone Pictures
For twelve years, Johnny Dingle (Andrew Lowery) has been hopelessly in love with Missy McCloud (Traci Lind). Now, with the approach of the Senior Prom, Johnny finally gets up the courage to ask Missy out. Unfortunately, before he has the opportunity, he's killed in a convenience store robbery. But never fear! Not even death can hold back Johnny and, despite the annoying tendency of several of his body parts to fall off, he returns from the grave to go to the prom with Missy. Surprisingly enough, she's a lot more attracted to him now that he's dead than she ever was while he was alive (I guess he gets points for being unusual).
Those expecting this to be an unapologetically silly movie are right on the money. However, as idiotic as it is, MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK is not without a few redeeming qualities. Much like last year's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, there are enough clever touches to the film to keep it from becoming tedious or unwatchable. I would never argue that MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK is a good movie, nor would I recommend it to anyone, but it's not nearly as awful as the title would suggest, and there are at least a few worse pictures available at the moment.
One of the primary problems with this film is that while it has a fun, lighthearted tone, it isn't nearly funny enough. Far too many jokes fall flat, and those that do succeed are more likely to provoke an amused smirk than any genuine laughter. The premise is somewhat underused, at least as far as humor goes.
MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK is pretty good at self-parody, though. The nonchalant way that everyone treats Johnny's return is clever and enjoyable to watch. Nothing that happens seems to shock anyone; they take it all in stride. In fact, Missy is flattered that a guy would do something like come back from the dead for her.
Johnny's mother (Mary Beth Hurt) and father (Edward Herrmann) are especially farcical. They are proud of their son's achievement, but determined to do everything necessary to keep things normal. When it turns out that Johnny needs to eat living flesh to keep him from decaying, his mother goes to the store and picks up a stray kid in case he wants a snack. When the neighbors threaten to burn Johnny, Mom pulls out a gun and aims it in their direction.
There is an anti-racist, anti-prejudice message that doesn't work. I recognize that the people behind MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK are trying to do something positive, but comparing the plight of the undead--a truly ridiculous situation to begin with--to the bigotry faced by many minorities is more than just a bad idea; it's insensitive. I can even see where some might find it downright offensive.
It's surprising how good the cast is. They do their jobs in the right spirit, giving excellent, deadpan (no pun intended) performances that keep this film from going into cardiac arrest. How fine actors like Mary Beth Hurt and Edward Herrmann can keep straight faces through these proceedings is difficult to conceive. Andrew Lowery's Johnny may be the star of the show, but they steal the spotlight.
One inventive touch found in the movie serves to emphasize the comic-book quality of the story. Many of the scenes are started with cartoon panels that turn into live-action sequences. Director Bob Balaban has fun blending fantasy, comedy, and parody together, and does a surprisingly smooth job of it. If only his script had more bite, this could have been a worthwhile film.
As it is, MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK is about as mindless as a movie can get. That's not always a bad thing to say about a film, but it certainly isn't an heartfelt endorsement. Maybe when it comes on cable, it will be worth a look--that's about the right medium for something of this sort. MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK has its moments, just not enough of them.
This review is copyright 1993 by James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews