| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Bubble Boy
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG-13 // January 15, 2002
List Price: $32.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
It has not been a pleasant week of reviewing. January has previously been known as the month where the worst batch of theatrical releases have been paraded in front of the viewing public. Unfortunately, it seems as if the video shelves are where some of the less-than-pleasant pictures are this year. The past week has brought Mariah Carey's "Glitter", "Wet Hot American Summer" and now, a particularly irritating picture - "Bubble Boy". I suppose I can understand how the rags-to-riches "Glitter" can be made, or even the summer camp parody of "Wet Hot". What I can not understand, however, is how anyone thought a road comedy about a boy in a bubble would be the least bit funny. That, and how a screenplay that insults just about every group could get past the development stage.
Jake Gyllenhaal (who was very good in "October Sky") stars as Jimmy, a boy born without an immune system, who must spend his days in a protective bubble. Jimmy's mother (Swoosie Kurtz) is insanely overprotective, but his father doesn't seem to care much. Jimmy (who seems to not mind his situation that much, suprisingly) finds a best friend in Chloe (Marley Shelton). When Chloe heads off to Niagra Falls to marry her jerk boyfriend (Dave Sheridan, who looks like he could be the cousin of David Spade's character in "Joe Dirt"), Jimmy has to venture out into the outside world in his bubble suit to get her back.
There's something disturbing about the entire enterprise. To put it simply, the situation isn't very funny. There are kids (and probably adults) who really have this immune disorder (organizations regarding this disorder protested the film upon release). Pondering having a solid layer of plastic separating you from everything around you is a bit saddening and not exactly a situation that inspires wacky, slapstick comedy.
The filmmakers were apparently not satisfied to leave unfunny enough alone. Jimmy speaks in a shrill, whiny voice that will likely remind viewers of fingernails on a chalkboard. The characters that Jimmy meets up with along the way are stereotypes - it's rather shocking that what groups of people aren't insulted by the way some characters are presented on-screen are covered by dialogue between some of the characters. While I won't list the instances, I was rather amazed that anyone would think these moments are funny. Many will likely be offended.
The actors aren't particularly bad, which makes their involvement here all the more confusing. Gyllenhaal showed real potential in "October Sky", but he's forced to perform dismal slapstick as this character. Shelton is cute (and scarily similar looks-wise to Heather Graham), but she still hasn't demonstrated a great deal of acting ability.
If anything (and I do mean anything), at least the film has fairly strong widescreen cinematography (which, I suppose, means that even crap can be framed in an interesting manner). For 85 minutes, I sat, shaking my head in disbelief that something this astonishingly awful could even be made. For those who have suffered through the majority of the picture, the ending is a twisted shock that was entirely too weird and idiotic to be believed. Parents who are considering renting this as a kid's film should think twice - not only because of the fact that it's wildly terrible, but it is also a PG-13 film, as well.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Bubble Boy" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen by Buena Vista. This is actually a fairly pleasant presentation. Sharpness and detail are actually rather good, as the film looks consistently crisp and well-defined. Problems are quite minimal, as only a bit of very minor edge enhancement appears during a few brief scenes. No pixelation was spotted and the print seemed clear and clean. Suprisingly, given the film's slapstick comedy nature, the color palette remains a bit on the subdued side, but seems to be presented accurately and without any problems. A fine effort.
SOUND: "Bubble Boy" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. As expected with a comedy like this, there's really little audio activity. Aside from a few sequences with some light action, the surrounds stay silent and the audio remains rooted in the front speakers. The alt-rock soundtrack (a few of the songs the filmmakers must have really liked, as they're played several times) has little presence and seems to be more of a second thought (the first thought being soundtrack sales). Audio quality remains satisfactory, but there's really nothing noteworthy about the film's audio.
MENUS: Goofy animated menus with some simple animation in the background.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Blair Hayes and actor Jake Gyllenhaal. As I browsed (I'd rather watch Mariah Carey's "Glitter" once more than watch this film all the way through again) through this track, I found little of interest. A few notes here and there about the production and the bubble pop up, but otherwise the discussion focuses on Hayes' pleased thoughts about how the film turned out and how some of the film's more disturbing moments are funny to him.
Director's Diary: 7 featurettes are included that last several minutes each, with the director providing occasional narration about what we're seeing.
Also: Production design gallery, featurette on making the bubble, storyboard sequence and a "Sneak Peek" trailer for "crazy/beautiful", a much better picture that doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this mess.
Final Thoughts: Mere words cannot describe how bad this film is. As the credits rolled, I sat completely stunned by what I'd just seen. At no point during the film's rambling, incoherent, plotless 85 minutes (77 + credits) was it even close to anything that could be considered a comedy. Shockingly, Disney has provided some special features for this picture, but I wouldn't recommend anyone going anywhere near this release.
It has not been a pleasant week of reviewing. January has previously been known as the month where the worst batch of theatrical releases have been paraded in front of the viewing public. Unfortunately, it seems as if the video shelves are where some of the less-than-pleasant pictures are this year. The past week has brought Mariah Carey's "Glitter", "Wet Hot American Summer" and now, a particularly irritating picture - "Bubble Boy". I suppose I can understand how the rags-to-riches "Glitter" can be made, or even the summer camp parody of "Wet Hot". What I can not understand, however, is how anyone thought a road comedy about a boy in a bubble would be the least bit funny. That, and how a screenplay that insults just about every group could get past the development stage.
Jake Gyllenhaal (who was very good in "October Sky") stars as Jimmy, a boy born without an immune system, who must spend his days in a protective bubble. Jimmy's mother (Swoosie Kurtz) is insanely overprotective, but his father doesn't seem to care much. Jimmy (who seems to not mind his situation that much, suprisingly) finds a best friend in Chloe (Marley Shelton). When Chloe heads off to Niagra Falls to marry her jerk boyfriend (Dave Sheridan, who looks like he could be the cousin of David Spade's character in "Joe Dirt"), Jimmy has to venture out into the outside world in his bubble suit to get her back.
There's something disturbing about the entire enterprise. To put it simply, the situation isn't very funny. There are kids (and probably adults) who really have this immune disorder (organizations regarding this disorder protested the film upon release). Pondering having a solid layer of plastic separating you from everything around you is a bit saddening and not exactly a situation that inspires wacky, slapstick comedy.
The filmmakers were apparently not satisfied to leave unfunny enough alone. Jimmy speaks in a shrill, whiny voice that will likely remind viewers of fingernails on a chalkboard. The characters that Jimmy meets up with along the way are stereotypes - it's rather shocking that what groups of people aren't insulted by the way some characters are presented on-screen are covered by dialogue between some of the characters. While I won't list the instances, I was rather amazed that anyone would think these moments are funny. Many will likely be offended.
The actors aren't particularly bad, which makes their involvement here all the more confusing. Gyllenhaal showed real potential in "October Sky", but he's forced to perform dismal slapstick as this character. Shelton is cute (and scarily similar looks-wise to Heather Graham), but she still hasn't demonstrated a great deal of acting ability.
If anything (and I do mean anything), at least the film has fairly strong widescreen cinematography (which, I suppose, means that even crap can be framed in an interesting manner). For 85 minutes, I sat, shaking my head in disbelief that something this astonishingly awful could even be made. For those who have suffered through the majority of the picture, the ending is a twisted shock that was entirely too weird and idiotic to be believed. Parents who are considering renting this as a kid's film should think twice - not only because of the fact that it's wildly terrible, but it is also a PG-13 film, as well.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Bubble Boy" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen by Buena Vista. This is actually a fairly pleasant presentation. Sharpness and detail are actually rather good, as the film looks consistently crisp and well-defined. Problems are quite minimal, as only a bit of very minor edge enhancement appears during a few brief scenes. No pixelation was spotted and the print seemed clear and clean. Suprisingly, given the film's slapstick comedy nature, the color palette remains a bit on the subdued side, but seems to be presented accurately and without any problems. A fine effort.
SOUND: "Bubble Boy" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. As expected with a comedy like this, there's really little audio activity. Aside from a few sequences with some light action, the surrounds stay silent and the audio remains rooted in the front speakers. The alt-rock soundtrack (a few of the songs the filmmakers must have really liked, as they're played several times) has little presence and seems to be more of a second thought (the first thought being soundtrack sales). Audio quality remains satisfactory, but there's really nothing noteworthy about the film's audio.
MENUS: Goofy animated menus with some simple animation in the background.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Blair Hayes and actor Jake Gyllenhaal. As I browsed (I'd rather watch Mariah Carey's "Glitter" once more than watch this film all the way through again) through this track, I found little of interest. A few notes here and there about the production and the bubble pop up, but otherwise the discussion focuses on Hayes' pleased thoughts about how the film turned out and how some of the film's more disturbing moments are funny to him.
Director's Diary: 7 featurettes are included that last several minutes each, with the director providing occasional narration about what we're seeing.
Also: Production design gallery, featurette on making the bubble, storyboard sequence and a "Sneak Peek" trailer for "crazy/beautiful", a much better picture that doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this mess.
Final Thoughts: Mere words cannot describe how bad this film is. As the credits rolled, I sat completely stunned by what I'd just seen. At no point during the film's rambling, incoherent, plotless 85 minutes (77 + credits) was it even close to anything that could be considered a comedy. Shockingly, Disney has provided some special features for this picture, but I wouldn't recommend anyone going anywhere near this release.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||