Boulevard (2014)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Robin Williams could do serious as well as funny, and brilliantly too, so long as the role was creepy, (see "Insomnia" and "One Hour Photo"). In one of his last films, "Boulevard" he played a closeted gay man in his early sixties who falls for a young hustler. There are no laughs here and the only thing creepy about Robin was seeing him underplay to the point where he seemed to be stopping in mid-sentence. This is certainly no "Good Morning, Vietnam".Robin may have been a great comic and a fine actor with the right material but whether it was miscasting or just a lack of enthusiasm there is no real engagement with his character here and even at under 90 minutes, the movie drags. It's the kind of film that feels well-intentioned if a tad pretentious, existing in its own precious little bubble and one that is poised to burst. A good supporting cast, (Kathy Baker, "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul's" Bob Odenkirk), are largely wasted.

As a big fan of the late Robin Williams, I didn't even hesitate to pick up this film when I saw him on the cover. Unfortunately I was very disappointed by the plot line. It builds slowly as Nolan begins to take care in some way of a destitute young man named Leo but it ultimately goes nowhere. There is very little action, very little intensity and I ended up being bored. On a positive note though, the acting was great by both Williams and the others. Their roles didn't seem fake or forced, but the backstory left me feeling as though I should've skipped this movie. It wasn't the worst I've ever seen but it's not one I would recommend.

I find this movie interesting because it's an important Robin Williams legacy, unfortunately he was a great actor and is no longer with us. Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bicentennial Man was my favorites, gems that dignifying his career. "Boulevard" is a shame. I think it is a bad portrait of a gay man's life. What kind of man came out of the closet at 60? The acting was fair, but Nolan is a weak man, who falls in love with a street boy. Nolan meets Leo, a prostitute (Is's hard to believe Roberto Aguire dated Emma Watson)who is victimized by a bully. The relation between them is weird, fortunately there was no sex involved. In the end of the movie Leo suffer an overdose, which makes no sense because we never see him consuming drugs. The bully chased him for money instead: that is a goof. The mechanic of the situations of Nolan's Life was fair and good executed, but the real problem is how stupid a man can be for get some companion. Aguire's performance was average but not extraordinary. The Rest of the cast was fair enough, but the movie was flat. Producers didn't brake a leg.

I had a hard time finding a fair rating for this movie. I didn't like it for the frustrating story, but the acting was top-notch. So I decided to give it a 6/10.Robin Williams should be a happy man. He has a good, loving and very forgiving wife, a nice job and the opportunity to get promoted. He only has one problem: He is unhappy with his life. Mainly because secretly he is gay.One fateful day he almost runs over a young male prostitute (Leo) with his car and gets infatuated with the teenager. It was weird enough to watch a 60 years old man wanting to spent some time with an underage boy and pay him for that. They didn't do anything offensive, since Robin Williams denied any of Leo's attempts for sex. Still pedophilia is a difficult topic.Anyway, our main gay protagonist instantly starts neglecting his wife and work for Leo and ultimately screws up at both, leaves everything and everyone behind in ruins and drives of with his car alone to start a new life.That leaves you behind with a bitter aftertaste. But the movie tries to be realistic and isn't aiming for a "happily ever after". If you like this kind of movies, you'll find Boulevard worthwhile. (Even though it's actually more of a "Boulevard of broken dreams".)