The Boost (1988)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Harold Becker

Writers (WGA):

Ben Stein (book)
Darryl Ponicsan (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Imagine having all the power, passion and pleasure money can buy. Now imagine losing them.

Plot:

Lenny Brown moves to California to find his fortune in tax shelter investments. When the federal government changes the tax laws...

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Drug Addiction | Cocaine | Hospital | Domestic Violence

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Woods	...	Lenny Brown
Sean Young	...	Linda Brown
John Kapelos	...	Joel Miller
Steven Hill	...	Max Sherman
Kelle Kerr	...	Rochelle
John Rothman	...	Ned
Amanda Blake	...	Barbara
Grace Zabriskie	...	Sheryl
Marc Poppel	...	Mark
Fred McCarren	...	Tom
Suzanne Kent	...	Helen
Libby Boone	...	Delores
Greg Deason	...	Michael
David N. Preston	...	Surfer (as David Preston)
June Chandler	...	Secretary

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | USA:R (certificate #29541) | Finland:K-16 | UK:18 | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

All the scenes set in Mexico were actually filmed in Venice, California; the crew was unable to travel to Mexico, again because of the movie's low budget.

Quotes:

Lenny: [to Linda] I swear to God, people here can't WAIT to lay off their money. It's not to be believed! God, why did we take so long to find this place? We're gonna be RICH, you hear me? RICH!

Movie Connections:

References Svengali (1931)

Woods best ever

Most people say James Woods best might be "The Onion Field," or maybe "Once Upon a Time in America," or possibly "Salvador." But this gets my vote for the best work in his career, as he's an absolute powerhouse. He plays Lenny, an ambitious businessman who gets his chance to move to L.A., live in a kick ass house, own great cars, and obviously make amazing money. But then the hole falls through his tax shelter venture and he's left with nothing. But he finds new life with cocaine, the thing he thinks makes him more aggressive and will get him back on top. Instead he and his wife keep heading down, unbelievably down in utterly convincing, strongly developed scenes. The houses get smaller, the money gets scarcer, and Lenny gets more near death. Woods' best scene ever, in my opinion, occurs in this movie, when he violently explodes during a business dinner, totally ruining any chances he had. The way he so quickly says his lines, is amazing. He's incredibly wired throughout the moment and its awesome to watch. The only downside for me is the end of the film, which doesn't lead to a redemption for Lenny. Woods is still as strung out as ever, and has a terrific final moment as he reads directly into the camera the pain his character is still feeling. So despite a downer (no pun) of a finish, this is still great storytelling, with James Woods at his strongest.