User Reviews

OK, I admit it. I was a child of the 80's. I distinctly remember sitting in elementary school and reading about the boy who lived in a bubble in my Weekly Reader. Naturally, when I saw the trailer for this movie, I asked myself, "Hey, whatever happened to that boy that lived in a bubble?" I knew I had to watch this to satisfy my curiosity. You've got the perfect character...an odd teenage boy that lives in a bubble. Write up an adventurous plot and throw in a cameo by Fabio and some M. C. Hammer on the soundtrack, and you've got yourself a movie that no Gen-X'er can resist.

I was fully expecting this film to be along the lines of "Wayne's World" or "A Night at the Roxbury." The characters are hilarious and exaggerated, but the non-existent plot drags on like a 10 minute skit that has gone 80 minutes too long. To my surprise, Bubble Boy has a fast-moving plot. OK, it is somewhat of an overused plot: Boy falls in love with girl; Girl gets engaged to someone else; Boy interrupts the wedding to get the girl back. You've watched enough movies like this to know how it is going to end, but, as always, it's the journey that Bubble Boy takes to get there that makes this movie interesting and redeeming. Just when you think Jimmy is finally on his way to Niagara Falls, and the movie is going to start dragging, BAM! The ice cream truck hits a cow! After mud wrestling two women while Japanese male spectators cheer him on, Jimmy is back on his way. Just when you think it can't get any more crazy, it does. That bubble plastic must be some tough stuff.

There is an important lesson can be learned from this movie. It is best expressed by Jimmy's dad who is really the only normal character, and only speaks once in the entire movie. He asks, "What if Neil Armstrong flew to the moon, but never set foot on it?" This movie is about taking chances...breaking out of our so-called bubbles, and experiencing life...not just sitting around watching it pass us by.

The dialogue and the jokes can be lame sometimes, but the humor really comes from the absurdity of the characters and the improbable situations the main character runs into. I have to give the writers an A+ for imagination. The movie is sanitized for younger viewers, but gives a wink and a nod to more mature viewers. This is a perfect modern day farce if you are looking for a light and uplifting comedy at the rental store.

FYI, in case you wondered, the original bubble boy, David, died at the age of 13 back in 1984 after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant. Today, infants born without immunity to disease undergo the transplant procedure at a young age, so they don't have to live the rest of their lives in a bubble.

This is one of the most disagreed-about movies in the IMDB. Depending on how this movie struck you, you either love it or hate it. Or you think it's pretty good. I've never seen a jury so divided.

I think the key to this movie is watching it with low expectations. It's a silly movie. Don't look for high comedy. It's the kind of movie that makes you chuckle in spite of yourself.

And it has one of the truly memorable lines in filmdom. I'm referring to the kids chasing the Ice Cream and Curry truck.

I give this movie a 6 out of 10, which is about what the user ratings would average out to, if you threw out the people who loved it and hated it to the extreme.

When I rented it, I was expecting to be disappointed. What a shock! An awesome film with a delightfully goofy plot. I did not find it offensive in any reagrd. In fact, I disagree with those who have called the film "stupid" or "dumb" or void of any real social commentary. In a nutshell, Almost everyone Jimmy encounters on his adventure is trapped in their own self imposed bubble. Truth is, we all find ways to insulate ourselves from the world, and impose "Bubbles" to convince ourselves of non-existent limitations that prevent us from being and doing what we want. The film's irony and beauty lies in the fact that while Jimmy's bubble is the most obvious, he is the free-est character in the film. He refuses to accept the limitations of his bubble, and will follow his heart no matter what the cost. How many of us can look in the mirror and say the same about ourselves? Well worth the cost of rental. One of the least recognized film jewels of the century so far.

Bubble Boy has all the makings of a disposable comedy, something you'd expect to see on cable and maybe (what the hell) give it a shot. And that's how it gets ya. The film has an outsized heart, the story of an immuno-compromised kid that defies his station in life and goes on a quest for the girl of his dreams. Along the way, we're met with some of the funniest supporting characters the early aughts had to offer. I was ready to dismiss this movie at first glance but I'm relieved I didn't. It's a blast.

Make no illusions about it, this by no means is a great movie but it at least really knows how to be fun and entertain.

Key to this movie is not to take it serious at all. It actually is being one crazy and silly movie, that really doesn't feature that much story and the little story that it does feature is incredibly flawed and badly written once you start to analyze it too seriously, which you really just shouldn't do.

As a comedy this movie certainly does not fail. It made me laugh and I enjoyed watching the movie throughout. You might think this is being just a one joke movie about a boy living in a bubble but the movie manages to come up with plenty of fun and original stuff. As bad as the script and story are, the comical situations and dialog are all still well written and executed. Seems weird that director Blair Hayes never had a career after this movie, since he seems far more talented than the majority of modern comedy directors these days.

It's basically a movie in which often a lot of random crazy stuff is happening. And this is also one of the more bad things about the movie I think. The movie is really hanging together from its coincidences and decides to simply go along with it all, purely in the interest of its comedy but it instead more comes across as some lazy and very simplistic film-making. The movie still works out well for most part but at others it just becomes too silly and even somewhat embarrassing to watch. But luckily it never really starts to annoy, or anything like that because the movie is just simply being too short for that.

It's also a movie that is hanging together from its lots of random cameos. But I actually sort of like that about this movie and actually seems to fit the style of the movie. Probably reason why I like the cameos is because the movie doesn't feature any cameos from well known comedians but more from cult figures, such as Beetlejuice and Fabio and some up and rising comedians, such as Zach Galifianakis, who at the time still was pretty much an unknown in the film industry.

But also the main characters and actors are being really good and enjoyable in this movie. Jake Gyllenhaal is actually genuinely good and fun in this early comical role by him and in contrast with the movies he wants to be associated with these days. I'm secretly hoping he'll someday return to silly comedies.

Despite all of the complaints, this still remains a perfectly watchable and fun little comedy.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

This may be one of the worst movies ever. I am not even referring to the subject matter. This was just plain bad. Bad writing, bad acting, you name it. How anybody could find this amusing is beyond me. If this is considered good then I am ashamed at how low the standards of today's moviegoers has plummetted.

I am definitely NOT the target audience for "Bubble Boy"...a film definitely aimed at the 16-21 year-old age bracket. I'm in my 50s and the reason I decided to see this was one thing...Jake Gyllenhaal. I've seen many of his films and really admire him as an actor and risk-taker. So, I decided to see the film even though I assumed I wouldn't like it. And, it turns out I liked it more than I thought. However, I should warn you...the film IS often offensive (especially when it comes to BROAD stereotypes of various religions) AND it's pretty dopey at times.

Gyllenhaal plays Jimmy, also known by many as 'Bubble Boy'. This is because he was born with no natural immunities and spent his entire life in a sealed environment....and he finally decides to construct a bubble-type device so he can leave. Why does he want to leave his home? Because he's in love with the girl next door....but she's going to Niagara Falls to marry some jerk. Along the way Bubble Boy meets lots of assorted oddball characters...most of which are pretty charming.

This film isn't much of a showcase for Gyllenhaal's talents, though he seemed to put his heart into the film and smiled throughout. But it's not among his better work, as it lacks depth and is just a dopey and occasionally offensive teen/young adult movie.

Admittedly, I've wasted my money in the past on frivolous things.

Here's another waste of money to add to the list.

I've always been a fan of crazy, weird, and often downright stupid comedy movies... everything from Kevin Smith movies and South Park to SNL.

I don't even believe that this movie could be called a comedy. Perhaps something on the line of horror?

The plot had potential, unfortunately, the potential was lost in an attempt to use supposedly witty connections to ethnic minority groups, cults, and other groups... which seems to have become the easy method of making a comedy without a plot.

The movie fails miserably in its attempt at humor. There are ways to use humor, even pick on various groups as the movie attempts to do, and challenge social norms, without blatant disregard for accuracy (i.e. South Park). As a Hindu, the example which stands out is its absolute butchery of Hindu theology..=] In my opinion, there are plenty of things that are humorous enough within the religion that can be used as material for a comedy by maintaining at least the guise of accuracy. This has been done before... the Simpsons, while definitely not a cross-section of the Asian-Indian culture in the U.S., is still funny, while maintaining a needed bit of sensitivity for accuracy. Even South Park, while routinely abrasive, has maintained at least a slight bit of accuracy (i.e. the "Super Friends" episode). You see, when accuracy is maintained, the level of humor is increased, which the storywriters of the movie seemed to simply forget. There are countless other examples of idiocy within the movie... but if I keep going, hey, I'll be here all morning.

Do yourself a favor and watch a good comedy...=] The plot had potential, and a few parts of the movie even had me thinking that all hope wasn't lost. All in all, disappointing.

What a world we live in. Throughout the history of our great land and especially in arts and cinema, depicting people who are not considered "normal" is something so taboo that we have gone to great lengths to debase these forms.

Granted, Bubble Boy isn't necessarily something we should defend to the death (unlike Freaks or something to that matter), but it presents the great problem of depicting people with disabilities. I will say this: the movie did have its moments. While the overall structure of the film was pretty silly to begin with, the filmmakers at least showed they had a good time making this film. To me, I found it more inspirational to the fact people like Beetlejuice, Matthew McGrory (RIP) and Verne Troyer actually had roles in this film. Top it off with a multi-ethnic cast and you have yourself a rather watchable movie. Jake Gyllenhaal was also good as the sweet and naive protagonist, giving a great homage to John Travolta's Boy in the Plastic Bubble. But the funniest moment in the movie had to be the Fabio-led cult that was like an evil version of Up with People

The Political Correctness Mafia will most likely try to strike this movie from the lexicon of America, I'll at least say I watched it. I'm not saying this is a great film, but at least it didn't make me fall asleep.

I rented this movie and shut it off after an excruciating 20 minutes of playtime. You could tell it was awful right from the get go. What makes it worse is that they make a mockery of the real "Bubble Buy" - Tod Lubitch life and family. Nuff said!

I caught this movie by mistake after it was broadcast on BBC1 at midnight last night, I just had to go straight out and get the DVD. It only had a one star rating in my television magazine which I think is terrible. It was a highly entertaining film which myself at 26, my 24 year old girlfriend, my 53 year old mother and even my very young daughter highly enjoyed - A really entertaining, pleasant family movie and obviously VERY under-rated in the UK. It was just one laugh after another, a really uplifting, funny story with a not-too over the top ending (although it was a little predictable). I would, however, like to send my respect to the family & friends of Matthew McGrory, as he always played great characters in all of his movies - I was very shocked and upset to hear that he passed away earlier this year, he will be immortalised by all of the great roles that he entertained the world with.

Why are all these people here moaning about Bubble Boy being offensive? Do they all live in a convent or what? If you think this is offensive and an assault on good taste, you can't watch anything anymore, lock yourself up and throw away the key. I started watching this film without knowing anything about it and I was pleasantly surprised. Initially, I feared that it would be Disney-flavored sentiment with tons of unnecessary drama and only an occasional laugh. Turns out it's the other way around! Young talent Jake Gyllenhaal is splendid as the poor boy, born without an immune system and suffering from an exaggeratedly worried and Catholic mother. He's due to live in a plastic bubble and has to disinfect everything that comes from the outside world. When the yummy girl next door announces she's soon to be wed at Niagara Falls, he chases her in a portable bubble and encounters all types of society outcasts. He teams up with circus freaks, fights religious sects and gets friendly with Hell's Angels. If you determine that to be offensive, it's your loss. I merely consider it a creative and dared new variant on the recent trend of slapstick road-movies. Bubble Boy is fast-paced, light-headed and not at all pretentious. True, there are sequences that are painfully unfunny but you quickly forget about those when a new and cool gimmick is introduced. Gyllenhaal is good, as mentioned before, but the familiar faces in the supportive cast is even better. Danny Trejo as the rebellious (read: romantically hurt) biker and Verne Troyer as the exploitive Dr. Phreak. Bubble Boy features more than enough ingenious findings and spontaneous chuckles to find a place in your memory forever. Lighten up and rent this puppy!

I am giving this movie a 1 because the imdb scale doesn't go any lower; technically I would rate it a MINUS 8. Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) and Verne Troyer (Mini Me) cannot save this pathetic, rancid bubble-brained exercise in bad judgment (I won't even USE the word 'writing'). How this piece of garbage actually got produced is the big question.

well, NOT really. The mom is what made this movie very funny. Her character was great, especially with all the not so nice things she did and said, but then in the next sentence she would praise Jesus. I also got a kick out of all the weird characters bubble boy meets on his trip to Niagra Falls.

This movie was so much better than a lot of other comedies. I guess all the controversy over the fact this movie makes fun of people who really live in bubbles is what killed it at the theater. If I'd known this was actually worth watching, I would have seen it a lot sooner.

FINAL VERDICT: Remember this is a comedy. Don't take it so seriously. This movie is silly; it is not trying to be offensive. Just take it for what it is worth and you will laugh and have a good time. This is definitely worth the 90 minutes it takes to watch it.

So I was expecting for me to think this was the dumbest movie ever, but I was pleasantly surprised with how entertained I was. While incredibly ridiculous and unbelievable, it was pretty funny and interesting. Jake Gyllenhaal was slightly miscast in my opinion, but still delivered a quirky and charming performance as the "Bubble boy". Really, all the supporting characters were hilarious as well. Perhaps some of the humor is a bit too "out there" for everyone, but I think some people will appreciate the film's creativity and originality. While still following the rom-com formula, this movie is still a step above and a breath of fresh air.

You have to be in a certain mood and have a little bit of a skewed sense of humor to enjoy this diamond in the rough. If you liked Pee Wee's Big Adventure then you'll like this movie too.

Rat Race tried hard to capture the inane and superfluous humor of Bubble Boy and Pee Wee #1 but couldn't pull it off. Bubble Boy succeeds because it never takes itself too seriously. How can it? A movie based around a guy who crosses the US trying to stop his girl friend's wedding... in a plastic bubble.

If you want something quirky, funny, and silly, but kinda clever, give this movie a try. Yes, it is very stupid, but it's also fun. Lighten up and enjoy. You'll be glad you did. There's more than a few chuckles and a couple of outright laughs, and a few places where you'll be scratching you head and thinking "who could come up with this and how could they make it into a move?". Not because it's bad, but because it's so weird. Ice cream and curry? Who'd a thunk it?

Don't let the low score on IMDb fool you. This movie is only for certain tastes, but if your funny bone is a little bent, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

When I first saw the trailer for this I thought it was gonna be one of those not-so-stellar over-the-top comedies of lately. And indeed I was correct upon viewing it. There wasn't any major stars in it which was quite good for this low budget film.

There were many things I didn't like in this movie because it felt like it didn't flow and was illogical at some places. for instance, how could a boy (Jake Gyllenhaal) makes friends with a biker gang, a cult group of Todd and Lorraine, and Dr Phreak's people all coming together at the end to cheer on the poor boy for his courageous efforts to win the heart of the girl (Marley Shelton) whom he met at his house for a short duration.

Running a mere 84 mins, which I wanted to end faster, I really don't think this movie should deserve any praise simply because it's not funny when you poke fun at children who are immunodeficient. I'm pretty sure some people/critics find the movie overall to be quite funny, I on the other hand didn't. In fact, I don't know how this movie got made in the first place, let alone the drafting stage.

I'm only gonna be generous in the rating only because of the busty girls at that "500 dolla" place.

4/10

This piece actually had a chance to achieve so much more. I saw potential in the first 33 minutes, as I thought this work actually had something to say.

The symbolism of the bubble as the protective net thrown over America's youth by paranoid mothers was strong and apt. America's overzealous right-wing would be well served by taking a lesson from this part of the film. Notice that our young hero, repressed by his bubble, knows exactly as much about the outside world as his mother would have allowed him to see even if he were not challenged.

This film took another strong step towards its' apparent statement when our protagonist encounters the "Bus Stop Attendant". In the bus stop attendant, we see a glimpse into the life of someone who has voluntarily put himself into his own "bubble", shutting himself up in a ticket booth almost the same size as the bubble, only this man is comfortable where he is. In his ticket booth, he is king and kingdom, condescending to the outside world, trapped in the rigid, regimented world of the petty rules he has established for himself. He is alone, friendless, washed up on the shores of the desert he has created for himself.

At this point, I was mildly surprised by how much this film was offering; a compelling illustration of what happens to those who refuse to take risks, who refuse to rise to challenges, who are content to remain trapped in the day-to-day routine that life always offers. We see this point brilliantly illustrated in the character of our hero's father, who has settled in to the point that he las lost his identity, his drive, his potential, and his lust for life. He lives vicariously through his son, and when you put all of these elements together, you have a very nice piece.

Then they go to Las Vegas and the movie falls apart. Once this thing falls off the cliff, it goes on a free-fall that doesn't end until the gentle viewer lands in a hell that doesn't end until the credits roll. Suddenly, we're thrown from a thoughtful, insightful statement about today's youth and society into "Magical Mystery Tour 2001". At least with the orignal "MMT", you could dose yourself and get some entertainment out of it. But this...I don't know what in the heck happened here. Stupid, outlandish caricatures and stereotypes take over the movie and never give it back. Nothing is funny. Well, wait a minute. Any movie with Fabio in it automatically gets a bump in the ratings because he has no qualms at all about making fun of his own novelty as an actor.

If you ever see this movie on Pay-per-view, please, save yourself. This movie could have achieved a lot. It didn't, and I want that hour of my life back. Notice I don't want the first 33 minutes back; that wasn't bad.

I love Bubble Boy i think it is a really great film full of silly humour which always makes me laugh. I think Jake Gyllenhaal is great in it and plays jimmy really well also swoozie Kurts is fabulous as his mother. I love the journey that jimmy takes just to get the girl he loves and make her marry him instead of her idiot boyfriend. All the people that jimmy meets are fantastic and in all the ways they help him and all the different advice that they give him is great but also very funny at times. I love the character Jimmy he is so sweat and innocent and very gullible at times, but he is also very brave in the story leaving the only world he knows to go into one he has only seen from his window. I think the characters are all great and the story is very funny bubble boy is one of my favourites.

I won two tickets to see this movie at a preview screening last night. After watching this film, I have to say that I have never before felt like jumping out of my seat and running to the exits screaming "FIRE"! within the first twenty minutes of a movie.

Who thought that with all the terrible comedies that have been released this year (ie. SAY IT ISN'T SO, TOMCATS, ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL'S, FREDDY GOT FINGERED, AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS), you could go any lower. This movie was truly awful.

The premise is this - a young boy, born with a condition that leaves him immune to just about everything that exists, grows up living a rather normal life as one would expect. When his sweetheart decides to get married to the wrong guy, it's up to him to make a road trip across America to Niagara Falls to stop the wedding. In doing so, he makes a 'bubble' suit to travel in so he can survive in the outside world. Amongst his travels, he gets himself into crazy and ludicrous situations, meets and befriends off-the-wall people and learns about life, all the while his parents are trying their hardest to catch up with him.

This may sound mildly amusing at this point. I thought I suffered 90 minutes of excruciating pain while watching this movie.

There are only two really 'known' people in this film. Swoozie Kurtz (of "Sisters" fame) and Jack Gyllenhaal who made his debut in the wonderful coming-of-age film, "OCTOBER SKY". I thought this guy would go on to do greater things, but instead, he takes ten steps back by starring in this rubbish.

About two thirds of the theater had been filled, and between all of us, there were about two laughs and they definitely sounded FORCED to me. When the audience dispersed, several patrons were shaking their heads in disbelief.

I don't know what the film studio was thinking when they green-lighted this turkey.

I have seen my share of bad films, but this one takes the cake. Watching this film felt like I was being punished for all my past sins.

0/10

It's obvious reading the comments here that the people who got this film completely got it and those who didn't did not understand it at all. I griped about how dumb this looked when it was released (the ad campaign was a joke) and never had any intention of seeing it. But Gylenhaal bowled me over in `The Good Girl,' so I decided I had to see his other films.

The film's certainly not for all tastes, but will appeal to people who've liked John Waters' films from the past decade. Yes, it's politically incorrect. But that's a big part of the fun! Most of the jokes are delivered with a dry sense of irony (case in point, the guy in the ticket booth). The entire cast gives hilarious performances from Swoosie Kurtz in an outrageous psycho-mother performance to `Working's Arden Myrin as head-Lorraine, the psycho cult-follower. A big part of the fun is that all of the characters ARE psycho and off-kilter. Much like the TV-series `The Oblongs,' the psychos in this film aren't scarred by their shortcomings, they revel in them... Which is why it isn't offensive unless you're politically correct and easily offended.

It feels like this movie should have been made 20 years ago. It has a real '80s feel to it, and the multiple `Land of the Lost' references (the spoof scene is hysterical) feel about 15 years out of place. There's no gross-out sexual humor, which is both refreshing and unusual in this post-`There's Something About Mary' age of films. It just has a twisted-wholesome 80s sense about it.

My one and only complaint is the running time. At 83 mins, it left me wanting more. Many of the scenes seem choppy, as if big parts of the scenes are missing (Bubble Boy's confrontation with Dr. Phreak for one). The entire opening sequence seems as if it should have gone on longer, and instead they compensated with voice-overs and musical overdubs to push it forward faster. It wouldn't bother me if there were a `deleted scenes' section on the DVD, but like most of Touchstone's DVD releases, there's little for extras.

All in all, a great little underrated film!

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.

GEsh! This movie was so terriable I cant even put it into words! I wasn't expecting much...but gesh I didnt think it would be that BAD!! There was no plot to this movie....I wish the bubble boy would have died in the end...at least it would have had a better story line! I give this movie one big fat ZERO!