Boys on the Side (1995)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Start with the cast - wonderful. From Whoopi Goldberg, Mary Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore - that's just for starters - a solid cast. Each one holds her own and rounds out the character with humor, sensitivity and a truthfulness. The script - good solid script - the director - Herbert Ross - he knew how to tell a story. And don't forget the soundtrack - love the music!Add to that one of the first scripts that looked at AIDS from the eyes of women. Not just a straight woman, but also a gay woman. How the characters both men and women deal with the issue, which is usually for Hollywood and the motion picture world, a male issue (the only other film I can immediately refer to as an AIDS film relating to women is the HBO film GIA).I highly recommend the film for all audiences - including teenagers. It deals with many delicate issues with great warmth, love, trust, humor and truthfulness.Thank you for this little gem!

This is my favorite film of all time. It has everything you want in a film.It is funny and has plenty of action throughout. It is also so sad, anyone who doesn't cry must be emotionally retarded. I especially love Mary Jane Parker in this film even though all the actors are great.The film has so many great lines in it too and who would have known Whoopi Goldberg has a decent singing voice. I strongly recommend everyone to watch this. Its just a shame i cant get this on region 2 DVD anywhere so i have to watch it on video which is not great.

I LOVE this movie. It's touching, funny, sad, heartbreaking and inspiring all in one. I found Mary-Louise Parker's character so like myself that it was hilarious! Drew Barrymore, lovely as ever in her role, provided the much-needed sparkle to the movie. Some parts were a lot sadder and more sinister than others, but Drew was always there to bring the sunshine!It's so touching, it makes me cry every time. But I love it. It's not perfect by any means, but it's definitely one to watch with the girls. Boys are on the side.

When I tuned this in, I was expecting a light comedy. It is not. It is a serious film about relationships. It has been a while since I saw Whoopi in something other than comedy. She was quite credible. She gets to sing in this role, and she could have another career there if she wanted to pursue it. Dru Barrymore is as cute and adorable as ever. I can't imagine anyone not liking her and her performance. I'd like to be able to bottle her, tuck it in a pocket, and take a dose whenever I need cheering up. But dominating the movie is Mary-Louise Parker, who plays a lonely woman and is the one who's illness causes the trip to stop in Tucson. She starts out as, as Whoopi's character says, the whitest white woman in America. She transforms into a more "with it" person as the story is told, and when she becomes sick she is somehow transformed into an emaciated thin, hollow-eyed, invalid. I couldn't tell if that was makeup or some kind of acting magic.