Boys on the Side (1995)

Robin shares a ride in her car from NYC to LA with Jane. They stop at Jane's friend's place in Pittsburg and take her with them west, making a long stop in Tucson. The 3 very different women become close friends.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Don Roos

Stars:

Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Jane
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Robin
Drew Barrymore	...	Holly
Matthew McConaughey	...	Abe
James Remar	...	Alex
Billy Wirth	...	Nick
Anita Gillette	...	Elaine
Dennis Boutsikaris	...	Massarelli
Estelle Parsons	...	Louise
Amy Aquino	...	Anna
Stan Egi	...	Henry
Stephen Gevedon	...	Johnny Figgis / Jane's Band
Amy Ray	...	Indigo Girl
Emily Saliers	...	Indigo Girl
Jude Ciccolella	...	Jerry

Storyline

Jane is a night club singer, out of work. Robin is a quirky real estate agent looking for a ride-share to accompany her to California. Her advertisement is answered by Jane, who at first was uncertain about her. A stop in Pittsburgh picks up a third, Holly, escaping a violent and drug-dealing partner. Girls on the road, reaching understanding, respect, and care for each other. But this trio is different - Jane a lesbian, Robin suffering with AIDS, Holly running from her past, seeking one-night stands and a good man.

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian | female protagonist | terminal illness | domestic violence | abusive boyfriend | 

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Taglines:

A motion picture that celebrates the art of survival, the gift of laughter and the miracle of friendship.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boys on the Side

Filming Locations:

Teatro Carmen, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,808,873, 5 February 1995

Gross USA:

$23,440,188

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,440,188

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcor Films, Canal+, Hera Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS Dolby DTS

Color:

Black and White Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite the fact that this was filmed in Super 35, "Filmed in Panavision" is listed in the end credits.

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Goofs

When Robin is trying to inform Holly that her boyfriend is dead she writes "MORTE" on the window and tells it is French for dead. In French, "morte" means a woman is dead and "mort" is used when a man has died.

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Quotes

Jane: [Elaine is crying at Robin's bedside, the nurse thinks her sniffles are relative to a cold, and tells her she could aggravate her daughter's condition] It's not a goddamn cold! Don't be such a hoo-hoo.
Nurse: [apathetic] And what's a hoo-hoo?
Elaine: [kindly] It's a cunt, dear.
[nurse gasps]
Elaine: Now why don't you leave us alone?

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Connections

Referenced in Weird Science: Girl Talk (1997)

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Soundtracks

Southland In The Springtime
Written by Emily Saliers
Performed by Indigo Girls
Courtesy of Epic Records

User Reviews

A Testament to Female Friendship

A rare and lovely movie focusing on female friendship, Boys On the Side explores 3 women, the way they sabotage themselves and how they love each other anyway. Mary-Louise Parker is Robin, an uptight real estate agent dying of AIDS. She wants to make a cross-country trip from New York to California- one that she made as a child and now holds sacred, as it was shortly before her younger brother died. Whoopie Goldberg is Jane, a black lesbian singer who also wants to go to California in hopes of getting more work. A stop in Pittsburg introduced Drew Barrymore as Holly, an adorable ditz with blond corkscrew curls and an indomitably upbeat view on life. When Jane and Robin arrive, she's being beaten up by her drug-dealer boyfriend, Nick. Violence insues, and they take off, leaving him tied up. Unfortunately Holly hit him a bit too hard with a baseball bat and he croaks. No one will miss the loser except his customers and Holly, who is far too forgiving for her own good. There is some talk of going to the police, but in the end they decide that it's good riddance to bad rubbish. They continue with the trip- until they are stopped in Tucson by Robin's bought of pneumonia. And in Tucson they stay, with Jane getting work at a local bar, Robin getting involved with the bartender that works there, and Holly- who is pregnant, maybe by Nick or maybe not- falls in love with a cop named, of all things, Abe Lincoln. Relationships get more complicated from there, with the director keeping a firm eye on the interaction of women as friends. I don't really have any sympathy over the darth of strong or likable male characters in this movie, largely due to the fact that I've seen dozens with half a five main male characters and one female sexpot. That's the standard, and it's both amusing and irritating when guys grumble or scream when someone has the audacity to make a movie where that is reversed. This is a movie made about women, for women. One woman will be punished, one will be forgiven, one will more or less die and one will be born before the movie ends. You won't be sad to see it end- it's exactly the right length- but you will be both satisfied and perhaps a bit meloncholic.