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Boys on the Side

Play trailer Boys on the Side R Released Feb 3, 1995 1h 57m Comedy Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 113 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After breaking up with her girlfriend, a nightclub singer, Jane (Whoopi Goldberg), answers a personal ad from Robin (Mary-Louise Parker), a real estate agent with AIDS, seeking a cross-country travel partner. On their journey from New York City to Los Angeles, the two stop by Pittsburgh to pick up Robin's friend Holly (Drew Barrymore), who is trying to escape an abusive relationship. With three distinct personalities, the women must overcome their differences to help one another.
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Boys on the Side

Boys on the Side

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Critics Consensus

Pack your bags and leave them Boys on the Side to experience the kind of sisterhood that makes you laugh and cry through the bumpy, quirky road of life.

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Critics Reviews

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Dolores Barclay Associated Press There's something strangely endearing about Boys on the Side. Perhaps it's the basic humanity woven into the movie's story, or the boundless optimism at its very heart. Mar 15, 2023 Full Review Rita Kempley Washington Post An engagingly acted, likable, fried green Thelma & Louise. Mar 15, 2023 Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution Boys on the Side isn't a profound film or even, given the TV-movie nature of its "predicaments," an especially risky one. But it's solidly endearing in terms of emotion, humor and character. Rated: 3/4 Mar 15, 2023 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an amiable endeavor that benefits substantially from the top-tier efforts of its three stars... Rated: 3/4 Oct 16, 2023 Full Review Sara Voorhees Scripps Howard News Service I enjoyed every minute of it, and was moved to tears at least a dozen times. It's a brave movie, and it challenges the acceptability of prejudices that are the root of some of the most dangerous social problems of our time. Mar 15, 2023 Full Review Linda Cook Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) This is for the same audience who loved Friend Green Tomatoes and Thelma and Louise, which also are movies about women banding together for strength. Rated: 4/4 Mar 15, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, a história é fraca, mas o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e mais relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 04/18/25 Full Review olive r saddest lesbian movie ive watched but one of my new found favorites Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review Steve D The mixed tones didn't work at all for me. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review dave s Boys on the Side tells the story of three disparate women (Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, Mary-Louise Parker), all carrying their own significant emotional baggage, who embark on a road trip across America. However, what starts as a Thelma and Louise-like odyssey of personal discovery and female empowerment soon devolves into something more maudlin, along the line of Beaches. While the characters are all likeable enough and the movie is helped along by an excellent soundtrack, it ultimately feels as though it is hurt by the tonal shift, which feels like a bit of a cop-out, and way too much unnecessary and awkward dialogue, losing sight of how powerful imagery can be in such a visual medium. It's not that it's a bad movie, but you can't help but think that director Herbert Ross simply overthought things. Sometimes less is better. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review james b This was a really good movie. It's definitely worth a watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The best way to describe this movie is being taken on a ride. It's charming, adventurous, emotional, funny, and everything in between. As friendship grows between the main characters, a relationship is also grown between the characters and the audience, so much so, you'll be in an emotional mess by the end of it. The cast handles all that's given to them with eloquence and skill. Movie vibes I'm picking up on is akin to Fried Green Tomatoes, My Girl, or Velma and Louise. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Boys on the Side

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Cast & Crew

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Herbert Ross

Director

Whoopi Goldberg

Jane

Mary-Louise Parker

Robin

Drew Barrymore

Holly

Matthew McConaughey

Abe

James Remar

Alex

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Boys on the Side

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Movie Info

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Synopsis After breaking up with her girlfriend, a nightclub singer, Jane (Whoopi Goldberg), answers a personal ad from Robin (Mary-Louise Parker), a real estate agent with AIDS, seeking a cross-country travel partner. On their journey from New York City to Los Angeles, the two stop by Pittsburgh to pick up Robin's friend Holly (Drew Barrymore), who is trying to escape an abusive relationship. With three distinct personalities, the women must overcome their differences to help one another.
Director
Herbert Ross
Producer
Arnon Milchan, Steven Reuther, Herbert Ross
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
New Regency Pictures, Canal+, Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 3, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$22.2M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Surround
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