The Boys Club (1996) User Reviews

Another bleak but well acted small Canadian movie

[whatch-17931 · 6/10 · 26 January 2021]

It's pretty well made, though these kids seem years too old to have a club house.

It's just so bleak, it seems like maybe they could have lightened it up. It reminds me of Repeaters, though it's not that dark by a long shot, but it feels like such a slog to get to the good parts.

A secret club, a hidden truth

[SassyFox · 6/10 · 18 July 1999]

This movie was quite interesting I'd say. It first just starts as a boring kinda of summer for 3 boys until they find a man in there club house way out in the woods. The man says he is a cop hiding from some other cops. It turns out he is not all what he says to be...

A Solid Movie

[JakeRfilmfreak · 6/10 · 7 March 2023]

The boys club does not leave you with anything special. But also does not make you feel like you wasted your time watching it. It has mostly solid performances, and the plot is actually pretty original.

Three Teenagers, Brad, Kyle, and Eric are your normal everyday kids. When one day they go to their clubhouse and find a stranger Luke played by (Chris Penn). Injured and on the run Luke looks to the boys to help him get what he needs, and becomes a mentor of sorts in the process, or so they think.

I've seen this movie many times since I was a kid and have always liked it. If you got 90 minutes to kill, check it out.

A gripping little gem

[coverme6 · 5 August 2000]

This is one independent flick that I had happen to run into in a local video store back in '97. At first, I thought it was

going to be those stupid, teen coming of age flicks that are so popular in the late '90s that I was almost tempted to ignore it. But I read the back of the video and I found the plot to be pretty intriguing: three teens who hang out in their clubhouse found in some dense woods are startled to find a wounded drifter who claims to be an undercover cop, hiding in their little club. Soon enough, the boys make a fine acquaintence with the man, not knowing that this guy has a dreadful secret about himself, and a harrowing experience follows when the boys discover the man's true colors.

This film actually had good acting and a fine, promising

premise. Devon Sawa stars as Kyle, one of the kids whose wild, destructive personality comes into conflict with the drifter. I was very surprised that Sawa can act up a storm sometimes! I found him especially weak in films such as "Wild America" and "The Night of the Twisters." The dude can really play his part well. Chris Penn (Sean's brother) is in top form as the menacing drifter, who tries to manipulate the boys with his smooth- talking charm and his sadistic ways.

IT'S AN EMPTY GUN

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 10 June 2019]

Three boys circa 14 years old have a shack in the woods where they go as a clubhouse. They have pin up girls and smoke cigarettes. The story centers around Kyle (Dominic Zamprogna) who is typically tongue tied around girls. Things are pretty normal until Luke, (Chris Penn) a strange man, shows up with a bullet hole in his leg. The boys think this is cool and do what they can to aid him...something which horribly backfires.

The movie is tame for the first 50 minutes. It isn't until Luke has mobility does things pick up. The acting was okay, but the plot was a bit flat. Let's just say it's a Canadian thriller.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. Pin-up nudity. Sexual intimidation.

small Canadian indie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 5 December 2017]

Kyle, Brad, and Eric spend time in their abandoned cabin in the woods. The best friends are not the most popular. Kyle has a crush on Megan. His home life is problematic. One day, they find injured Luke (Chris Penn) recuperating in their hideout. He claims to be a cop on the run from corrupt colleagues.

This is fine as a Canadian indie. Penn is the most notable actor. With younger kids, it would be more believable and more intense. The audience would fear for younger boys more. The danger level would simply be higher. Although with older boys, Megan can be old enough for that scene to work. It is possibly the best scene in the movie. A better Megan would make it even better. The low production value keeps this strictly in indie territories. This struggles to be better than that.

Be careful about choosing your heroes .................

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 17 December 2009]

Three impressionistic 14 yr. olds discover a fugitive in an isolated shack they use as a club house. Chris Penn is excellent in the role of the unhinged and wounded killer. The script comes across as mostly believable, and builds tension nicely. The acting by all involved is totally acceptable, and the rural setting feels correct. This really is beyond the usual coming of age film, because of the violence. The film's message, if there is one, seems to be, be careful about choosing your heroes. For admirers of Chris Penn this is a must see...................................... Recommended as above average entertainment. - MERK

Don't be fooled - 'The Boys Club' is a yawn!

[FightOwensFight · 2/10 · 26 April 2009]

Not really worth a review, but I suppose it's my duty to warn you all - especially since there are some pretty good reviews of this Canadian bomb floating around out there... Bad acting and a slow moving, absolutely atrociously boring 'coming of age' tale in which 3 boys lives are turned upside down when a man on the run shows up at their clubhouse in the woods. At firs the boys make good with the intruder and at one point even view him as some sort of a role model... However all this changes... and you still won't care. You will recognize Chris Penn, whose biggest cinematic impact is Corky Romano, and a young Devon Sawa, whose career peaked at 'Casper'. I was hoping for a '12 and Holding', 'The War', or 'Lie' and all I got was a waste of time. This film struggles to keep it's audiences attention and never makes an impact or maintains a note of anything remotely interesting.

See it! Great for everyone!

[vlises22 · 10/10 · 14 December 2001]

A great Story, might scare little children. Chris Penn and Dominic (Kyle) especially good. I was surprised that I liked it. I've seen Chris Penn lots of times, and is dependable. But, Dominic (?) as Kyle, who is he? Was very good.

A well done independent flick!

[marcfantozzi · 10/10 · 5 March 2001]

I am a huge fan of the movie 'Final Destination' and think that Devon Sawa is a good actor, thats why I saw The Boy's Club and because it really sounded intriguing. Three teenage boys have a secret hideaway in the woods and spend all of their spare time there due to the teacher's strike in their small town of Ontario. But when they encounter a mysterious drifter named Luke who is hiding out in their shack, things take a turn for the worst. At first things go fine. The three boys, Kyle, Brad and Eric admire this stranger and think he's really cool, but Luke has a deadly secret. I won't spoil it for you guys but this film is really excellent and kept me glued to the screen. The only other independent feature I have seen is the 1978 classic 'Halloween'. The Boy's Club is no Halloween, but it is a great flick. I am desperately trying to find a copy of this to buy. Amazon.co.uk don't have this available and American video cassettes don't work over here in Australia so I am in a fix. That's how much I love The Boy's Club. The film is well acted by it's young stars and you will really hate Chris Penn in the end. Don't let the independent/B-grade feel to this movie fool you, it is really cool and one of the best flicks I have seen in a long time.

Showed promise, never delivered

[vchimpanzee · 8 March 2004]

Kyle, Brad and Eric are three young teenage boys with a secret clubhouse where no girls are allowed unless they take off their tops (a reference to the pictures on the wall). One day they find Luke in their clubhouse with a gun, a badge and a big secret. Luke seems nice enough and even becomes a good friend to the boys. But he has been shot and he doesn't want them telling the cops or even taking him to the doctor. His wound is minor enough the boys can fix him up, but there may be something he's not telling them.

Kyle wants to be a pilot, but his father does not seem to support his dreams, and he has a loser jerk of an older brother named Jake. He also wants to date Megan.

I liked the scenes with Kyle and Megan. There was some comedy in this movie, and a scene where two of the boys made trouble in a liquor store was one of the most enjoyable for me. I thought Chris Penn gave a really good performance as Luke, making a dramatic personality change as the movie took a dark turn.

Some movies might have recovered from what happened in the second half. For me, this one never did. It was more violent than I would have liked, for one thing. And some things happened in that club house that just weren't pleasant. I was hoping this movie would be a little more positive. It wasn't exactly 'Stand by Me'.

The Boys Club

[Thepeelsessions · 10/10 · 15 August 2005]

I first saw this movie back in probably 1997-1998. My dad rented it at the the no longer Video World. I was just a little kid then, but I loved the movie. Before I knew about ebay, I looked all over town for a copy of the movie. Needless to say, I found it last year it at a local video store in town, Umpqua Video. This movie is great. It's just an independent film with good acting by Dominic Zamprogna, Devon Sawa, Stuart Stone and Chris Penn, and an awesome, thrilling plot.

The setting of this movie takes place in a small town In Ontario, Canada back in '95-'96. Three friends, Kyle, Eric and Brad have a clubhouse in the backwoods of town. The one day they find a wounded stranger, Luke, in their clubhouse. He is carrying a gun and badge and tells them he is a cop. Perfect cover.

I bought this movie on ebay awhile ago, and I definitely recommend it. It's worth the money. Also this movie has some rad music. I've actually bought a lot of the music. Failed you by the pasties, awesome song and on an even better CD (self-titled.) Very rare CD, If you ever come across it, Get It!!

A Dark Cousin of "Stand By Me"

[drpakmanrains · 9/10 · 9 May 2012]

I came across the DVD of this film at a mall video store circa 2002 in the low price bin while waiting to see a film at the theater. I had never heard of it, but the plot sounded interesting and the price was right, so I bought it unseen. As others have stated, this Canadian film is about 3 early adolescent boys, Eric, Kyle, and Brad, who hang out in a shack they have made into a clubhouse where they hang pin-ups and talk about girls and listen to loud music. One day they find Chris Penn (Luke) in their club nursing an injured leg. He tells them he is a cop who was betrayed by colleagues in a drug deal gone bad. He asks them to help him recover and maybe get him a car. Eric, (Devon Sawa), the wildest of the three friends, like many adolescent boys, thinks this is really cool, and wants them to help Penn.

Little by little, as Penn befriends them and acts like a benevolent mentor about subjects like gun handling, they get drawn in deeper, realizing too late that all is not what they thought, and their very lives are in danger. What looked like an exciting adventure soon becomes a nightmare.

The film has some similarities to "Stand By Me", but it is far darker, and has some very disturbing scenes, particularly when Kyle's potential new girlfriend comes into the shack unexpectedly. The tension builds to a very dangerous climax, as the boys learn that "cool" isn't what they thought it was.

Having worked with boys this age, I found myself riveted and worrying for their safety, and disturbed by their having to lose their innocence in such a traumatic way. These were basically good kids having to learn an important lesson about maturity the hard way. I would have given this film a 10 were it a little more fun to watch and moved a little faster in the first half. But to say this is a boring film, as one reviewer did, sure doesn't match with my opinion, and I think the 3 boys were excellent actors and far less caricatured than the boys in "Stand By Me", even though that film was overall more satisfying and enjoyable. Still it rates a 9, and well worth seeing if this type of movie (dark and serious) is appealing to you.

One of my favorites!

[geeked-out-4-movies · 17 November 2020]

This is probably one of my absolute favorite movies from the 1990's and for a Canadian film. I had happened to stumble upon the trailer to this movie way back in 1997 when it was playing on The Prevue Channel that showed different movie trailers and TV schedule and I had wanted to see it because it looked interesting. I had forgotten about it for about twelve years and finally had watched it and bought the DVD and when I finished it, I was blown away at how amazing it was, I had wanted more, the characters are interesting and the story is dark and deep.

John Fawcett the guy who directed this has directed a masterpiece, and i'm not kidding! It's one of the greatest Canadian movies you will ever see, period. The music composed by Jeff Bird and Michael Timmins is awesome too.

The movie is about three teenage boys who have their own club house and one day they find a man there who has a bullet wound in his leg and they hide him and they eventually become friends of sorts, but then when he tells them to get a car and starts getting violent and even taking one of them hostage, they find themselves in more trouble then they thought and have to find a way out of it without any adult help. The music is fantastic of mostly Canadian music (but some of it is American) and fits the film well. I love the music background score as well as it is upbeat and catchy. I wish this film would get re-released on Blu Ray or 4K Ultra HD with new extras and audio tracks but until then we are stuck with a bare bones release. This movie is worth every penny as it is a real masterpiece.

9/10 stars.

Good, cud have been gooder.

[shabbastone · 9/10 · 19 April 2006]

This will give some a nostalgic feel of the 90's with dress code,the 90's grunge music and the grim and sometimes gritty setting of the plot.if your looking for a film with not too much to ask this would be decent selection.but if you are consciously looking for a low-budget film with a good performance by the actors and a good music score then this would be sweet film to watch.its characters are portrayed brilliantly by all the actors in the film including few known faces and some not very known.(stuart stone played donnie's friend in donnie darko).although it may have been released in cinemas which i don't know but its probably fawcett's finest attempts at film making (he recently made THE DARK[2006]).All in all i think it is a piece of entertainment that i would not mind watching maybe twice.i give it a 6.5 outta 10.

Basically, all I have to say is that Devon Sawa is FINE!!!!

[Veronica-20 · 24 September 1999]

Ok, so I admit...I rented this to see Devon cuz I've loved him ever since Casper(pretty lame, huh?). Anyhow, the movie was actually pretty good. But I know that the only reason that I'm saying that is cuz of Devon. At least I admit it. But don't get me wrong, the movie wasn't bad...I liked it :) I loved to see Devon's cute voice crack all the time and his daring, bad boy(well, sorta bad boy), wild, and adventurous self.

*cough cough*

[fritz2525 · 8 August 2002]

At first I thought this movie is a horror movie, hehehehe... The setting of this movie is in Southern part of Ontario in Canada ( I live in Ontario too but i'm in the city though). This movie is okay, they did an okay job. The first half of the movie is a little boring but the second half is getting more and more interesting, when the figutive guy shot this guy's brother and won't let them take him to hospital. I thought he's going to die. Plus, the singer known as 'BIF Naked' did a cameo on this movie as a security guard of the beer store. That was a little surpirse. I don't really recommend this movie to anyone because there's a lot more movies out there that is more worth it to watch. I will give this movie 6 cans of pop out of 10.