Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape, and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into the modern and nihilistic life begins.

Director:

Rolf de Heer

Writer:

Rolf de Heer

Stars:

Nicholas Hope, Claire Benito, Ralph Cotterill

9 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicholas Hope	...	Bubby
Claire Benito	...	Mam
Ralph Cotterill	...	Pop
Syd Brisbane	...	Yobbo
Nikki Price	...	Screaming Woman
Ullie Birve	...	Robbed Woman (as Ulli Birve)
Audine Leith	...	Fondled Salvo
Natalie Carr	...	Cherie the Salvo
Lucia Mastrantone	...	Pizza Waitress
Carmel Johnson	...	Angel
Jip De Heer	...	Treelopper
James Ammitzboll	...	Little
Grant Piro	...	Salesman
Celine O'Leary	...	Woman in Mercedes
Dave Flannagan	...	Cop / Warder (as Dave Flanagan)

Storyline

Bad Boy Bubby is just that: a bad boy. So bad, in fact, that his mother has kept him locked in their house for his entire thirty years, convincing him that the air outside is poisonous. After a visit from his estranged father, circumstances force Bubby into the waiting world, a place which is just as unusual to him as he is to the world.

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Plot Keywords:

locked in room | captivity | bred in captivity | held in captivity | resocialization | 

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Taglines:

He's been in his room for 35 years. It's time to let him out!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Blue Underground Umbrella Entertainment - Blu Ray

Country:

Australia Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bubby, el chico malo

Filming Locations:

College Street, Port Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bubby, Fandango, The South Australian Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There were 32 different Directors of Photography during the shoot. The idea was to have a different D.P. for every new place that Bubby went to not only give the film more of an experimental feel, but also to eliminate the worry of having to always have the same crew on set every day.

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Quotes

Bubby: And if the poison doens't get you... God will.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits play over a scene showing Bubby playing in a garden with his children.

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Connections

Referenced in Christ Kid, You're a Weirdo (2005)

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Soundtracks

Bad Boy Bubby Blues
Devised by Peter Monaghan

User Reviews

Crazy, insane, black, funny, terrifying, weird, SUPERB.

This film changed my life. No, really. It was a Friday night, and the parents were away. I was on my own in front of the television, and Channel 4 (UK + Irish viewers will know of it) was showing Bad Boy Bubby as part of some cult film season. Well, to cut a long story short, I was glued to the screen for the duration of the film (I drooled and stared at it during the commercial breaks) and when it was over, I realised that the dinner was entirely burnt. Not a particularly relevant story, you may think, but note that the television was IN THE KITCHEN, mere feet from the oven. That's how good this film is. It features possibly the greatest crazy monologue ever committed to celluloid (the pub/microphone scene), two of the most disturbing murders in any movie I've seen (and I've seen thousands), one of the most unsettling relationships I've seen, and an unbelievable central performance. This film is darker than dark, and stranger than Eraserhead. Just as Bubby is on his own throughout the film, so is the viewer. Alone, confused and disturbed beyond words.

And I've never thought of the Salvation Army in the same way since.

10/10