Boys on the Side

Great movie about three women (Whoppi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore) and their various adventures as they travel cross-country. Goldberg plays a lesbian, Parker plays a straight woman with AIDS and Barrymore a pregnant, unwed woman. All three are fantastic and the film manages (more or less) to juggle many plot elements (AIDS, lesbianism, pregnancy, drugs, violence, murder etc etc) and deal with them all effectively.

Parker is probably the first woman ever to play a straight woman with AIDS in a major Hollywood film--quite a feat. Goldberg and Barrymore are just letter perfect in their roles. Also the unknown Matthew McConaughey (absolutely gorgeous with a buff body and blue eyes blazing) and Estelle Parsons (as Parker's mother) give strong supporting performances. The film is long but never dull and it all ends to a very moving final sequence--I cry every time I see it!

Two minor quibbles--it takes Barrymore over a year to have her baby and there are obvious cuts in the second half of the movie (I assume this was to keep the film down to two hours). But these are minor problems. A very funny, very moving film. Don't miss it!