Boxing Helena (1993)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Excellent but underrated film

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This one-of-a-kind movie is hated by many but certainly deserves some kind of kudos for its uniqueness. I found myself being drawn into this movie; from the initial moments, where I didn't think much of it; to the growing love between Sands and Fenn, to the violent, unexpected conclusion. Jennifer Lynch tries to inject as much of her father's surrealism as possible into the film, so there's lots of symbolism and weird stuff going on. Calling this film "quirky" is an understatement.I remember this as being pretty controversial when it was first released, concerning as it does a man who kidnaps a woman, cuts off her arms and legs and puts her in a box. It's not in bad taste as you might think, although this supposed depravity certainly seems to be one of the film's main selling points (just check the video box for an example). What surprised me most about this film was the subtle message that real love isn't just about sex, but about what the person looks like on the inside instead of the out. There are certainly a number of surprises and twists as the film commences.As I mentioned before, the acting is pretty bad but bearable. The best of the bunch is Sherilyn Fenn, who turns her ice-cold bitch into a realistic, if unlikeable, character. Julian Sands (WARLOCK) overdoes it a bit with his turn as a childish, confused doctor, but to be fair it was a difficult role to play and I can't think of many modern actors capable of pulling the role off totally successfully. Elsewhere, Bill Paxton (with a ludicrous wig) is a cliché and one of my favourite bit actors, Kurtwood Smith, appears as a fellow doctor. But these characters are all unimportant, as the film focuses primarily on Fenn and Sands, and how their relationship progresses as time goes on.This is quite a slow-moving tale, well shot, and there's little in the way of action or gore as you might expect. The actual scenes of amputation are thankfully offscreen. The one thing I didn't really like about the film was the cheat ending, where the entire sequence of events turns out to have...well, couldn't they think of anything else? BOXING HELENA is a real oddity, and certainly worth a look in my opinion, despite the obvious shortcomings.

Dr. Nick Cavanaugh (Julian Sands) was raised to be a surgeon. He's a top surgeon and a bit peculiar. His mother dies and he decides to move back into the family mansion. He is still obsessed with Helena (Sherilyn Fenn) whom he slept with once a long time ago and she knows it. She's a wild party girl going out with douche Ray O'Malley (Bill Paxton). Nick's girlfriend Anne Garrett sees the obsession and has a fight with him. He tricks Helena to his home and she runs off into the street. Her legs are crushed in a hit-and-run. He performs amputations and keeps her in his home. Dr. Alan Harrison (Kurtwood Smith) comes looking and Nick gives him the chief of surgery position. After more near-misses and constant resistance from Helena, Nick amputates her arms.Jennifer Chambers Lynch shows that her directing skill is at a TV movie level. With the ending, she shows that she doesn't have the guts to push all the way. It's all a dream and it's a cop out. Julian Sands is good at being a creep and in this one, he's a pathetic creep. Sherilyn Fenn is a beauty. The movie should look and feel much darker. Instead it feel cheesy and a bit campy.

This movie is undeniably, irrefutably awful - And entirely worth seeing. If you ever wondered what it would be like if David Lynch were a 19-year-old girl...well, here it is folks. The premise is uncomfortable, the symbolism and themes are overdone and cliché, The dialog and characters are exquisitely awkward and bizarre. For instance, Julian Sands is British. Why does his British accent sound fake and forced? why does he HAVE a British accent, when his character is American, his parents are American, and he apparently grew up in America!? WHY IS HIS HAIRCUT SO BAD?!? Why is everyone acting normally at a high-class party, then suddenly the title character is mostly naked in a fountain? Does Dr. Cavanaugh have an oedipal complex, or a sexual fixation on the Venus DeMilo, or both? Just when you think it cant get any more awkward, Red Foreman and Art Garfunkel show up. Don't forget the awesome fashion of the early 90's. The ending is an utter disappointment, a result of lazy writing, but still i'm glad this movie exists. Unintentionally Hilarious gems like this are hard to come by.

Boxing Helena needs a major reworking. When it wants to, the film can be quite disturbing, I will gladly admit that. Unfortunately I also found myself laughing in places where I don't think I am supposed to. This motion picture is over serious, and completely lost. It may have some use as a pretentious psychology lesson in the Oedipal complex, but it is otherwise dull and useless, not to mention vulgar.Chief Surgeon Dr. Nick Cavanagh, is obsessed with his neighbour Helena, who he had a one night stand with once upon a time. With the recent death of his mother (whom he was equally in love with) Nick is lonely and scared. He needs someone to turn to, or love. He kidnaps Helana, amputates her limbs, and keeps her in his house as almost a pet doll. How far will this go? how long can he hide?Most of the movie takes place in the glamorous mansion which Cavanagh has inherited from his family. It is a charming place, all dressed up, and full of plush. One of the strongest and most ironic images in the movie, is seeing an armless legless girl dressed up like a porcelain doll, in a high chair, and watching the good doctor suck up to her like she is his own kin. The movie actually doesn't make it clear as to whether the Dr. Cavanagh thinks of Helena as his kin or his lover. the more emotional it tries to be, the less effective Boxing Helena becomes. The sheer sloppiness of the acting, writing and direction, are constantly reminding the viewer that this is a movie. Some of the scorning is nice, but for that, just get the soundtrack.Julian Sands' performance is a huge burden on the movie. He is over-romantic and completely unconvincing. Sands delivers his lines as if he is in Romeo and Juliet. In the last two minutes, Boxing Helena recalls David Lynch epically, as it turns into a surrealist feature, and what is more annoying is that the film has literally no ending. The whole thing just becomes an exercise in stupidity. It has nowhere to go, and subsequently, has nowhere to take the audience. Boxing Helena is best left forgotten