The Cure (1995)

Dexter, age 11, who has AIDS, and his next door neighbor Eric, a little older and much bigger, become best friends. Eric also becomes closer to Dexter's mother than to his own, who is ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Horton

Writer:

Robert Kuhn

Stars:

Brad Renfro, Aeryk Egan, Delphine French

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Renfro	...	Erik
Aeryk Egan	...	Tyler
Delphine French	...	Tyler's Girlfriend
Mona Powell	...	Tyler's Girlfriend
Andrew Broder	...	Tyler's Buddy
Jeremy Howard	...	Tyler's Buddy #2
Joseph Mazzello	...	Dexter
Annabella Sciorra	...	Linda
Diana Scarwid	...	Gail
Rosemary Corman	...	Elderly Woman in Street
T. Mychael Rambo	...	Garbageman #1
David Alan Smith	...	Garbageman #2
Delia Jurek	...	Angry Woman
Fran Korba	...	Elderly Women in Market
John Carroll Lynch	...	Skipper #1 (as John Lynch)

Storyline

Dexter, age 11, who has AIDS, and his next door neighbor Eric, a little older and much bigger, become best friends. Eric also becomes closer to Dexter's mother than to his own, who is neglectful and bigoted and violently forbids their friendship upon learning of it. When they read that a doctor in distant New Orleans claims to have found a cure for AIDS, the boys leave home on their own, planning to float down the Mississippi river and find him.

---

Plot Keywords:

friendship | river | terminal illness | suspected homosexual | medical | 

---

Taglines:

Two boys found a way to make one summer last a lifetime.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for emotional thematic elements, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Cura

Filming Locations:

805 1st Street South, Stillwater, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$2,568,429 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Island World, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening credits feature the track 'My Great Escape' by Marc Cohn. A prelude is also heard later in the movie. However, this track was not released on any medium other than the movie itself.

---

Goofs

When Dexter's mum is asking Erik about his girlfriend, he has a tea towel in his hand. In the next shot, the tea towel has disappeared altogether.

---

Quotes

Tyler: Hey, how much you pay for that faggot? You guys took a wrong turn. This is a 'No Homo' zone.
Erik: I ain't a homo. And neither is he. He got it from a blood transfusion.
Tyler: Well then what's that awful smell?
Erik: Well see, we was walking across the grass when we accidentally stepped in your mother.

---

Crazy Credits

Renée Humphrey's character was named 'Angel', although her tattoo was misspelled as 'Angle', so she's credited as the latter instead of 'Angel'.

---

Connections

References Star Wars (1977)

---

Soundtracks

"My Great Escape"
Written and Performed by Marc Cohn

User Reviews

A story about friendship, loyalty & the naivete of childhood.

Here's a film about and enacted by two children. Although there are adults in the film, they are there to add some authenticity, drama and, at times, comedy relief. The younger of the two boys, Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) is dying of AIDS; the older boy, Eric (Brad Renfro), is something of a sociopath. A lad of the South, Eric lives with his divorced mother in an unidentified city in the upper reaches of the Mississippi River (St. Paul, Minneapolis?). His innate hostility coupled with his marked southern accent does little to endear him to his peer group. So Eric is something of an outcast and has few friends...until he meets his next-door neighbor. He and Dexter become fast, though tenuous, friends. The friendship solidifies as the story segues into a quest for an AIDS cure which takes them on a Tom Sawyer trek down the Mississippi River with lots of adventures. One later scene, which will be thought of as emotional and something of a tear jerker, is truly uplifting and brings to the fore the true theme of the film. A first time effort by director Peter Horton, its theme was not one to garner any great box-office success. But it is well worth a video rental. (Brad Renfro, by the way, proves that his brilliant performance in The Client was not a fluke. And he did it without Tommmy Lee Jones & Susan Sarandan).