Recent Reviews for Boys Don't Cry
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MCT:August 6, 2008A haunting film. Hilary Swank proves what a great actress she can be when she puts her full chops out there on the block. (I refuse to accept the fact that she runs in the same company as Foster and Streep.) This is the kind of film and performance that can get under your skin. It stays in your head long after its over, and forces you to realize that this country is far from "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Someone's always gonna be there to take away one of the three.
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MCT:August 5, 2008Very Interesting...based on a true story. I had to watch this for a Political Science class I am taking. All I can say is: ladies...watch this movie and know who you're getting involved with!
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MCT:August 5, 2008
"Dear Lana, By the time you read this I'll be back home in Lincoln. I'm scared of what's ahead, but when I think of you I know I'll be able to go on. You were right, Memphis isn't that far off. I'll be taking that trip down the highway before too long. I'll be waiting for you. Love always and forever, Brandon."
The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.
Hilary Swank: Brandon Teena
Sparsely based on a real-life story of a lesbian transvestite con person who gets wraped up with an alcoholic, two psychotic ex-cons and an out-and-out fruitloop, it's clear from the gloomy start that Boys Don't Cry is going to be far from simple. Bleak, uncompromising and at times plain unpleasant and truthful, the film uses for its source material the true story of Brandon Teena, a girl who just wants to be a boy.
A sex-changing credit sequence sees our hero(ine) at first on the pull, duping a local girl into a bit of sexual activity, and then on the run, when the truth about her sexuality rears its bizarre head.
A fugitive of the law, a certain twist of fate leads to her befriending a bunch of trailer trash misfits and temporarily, enjoying a new-found freedom under her manly identity.
We all know though for certain, it's all going to go horribly wrong - particularly when she falls in love with the local girlie sweetheart, and on this level at least, it does not give in.
Where Boys Don't Cry does go slightly awry is in granting its principle characters such a sparse background elaboration, thus giving us the audience an insufficient insight into some of their motives, and a marginally overlong running time occasionally loses a degree of momentum and stability. Minor quibbles aside, an array of dazzling performances (A nod to Swank) and Peirce's taut direction (the rape scene, harsh but realistic) all mix together to produce a genuinely harrowing experience rivaling many other films that try this same subject matter.
Boys Don't Cry is definitely not for the faint-hearted or squeamish yet also not quite as accomplished as it could have been executed, however, nonetheless a worthy shot and story brought to life that is both fascinating and dark.
Boys Don't Cry should be watched, but it's not one you're going to watch over and over. Recommended to see once or twice and let it linger because without a doubt when you're done, it certainly does. -
MCT:July 26, 2008
this movie is like the brokeback mountain done by women, the film is so intriging yet so disturbing yet so powerful, and swank's acting is so good
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MCT:July 13, 2008
Extremely confrontational film about a boy trapped in a girls body. Totally believable and based on true events.
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MCT:July 10, 2008Very intense! Nobody could have gotten in the way of Swank for the Oscar! Really leaves you to think about so much!
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MCT:July 8, 2008
I really like Hillary Swank & I realized that I had not seen this movie. It was worth the watch. I really like true stories too. This one was pretty sad but a good story just the same.
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MCT:July 4, 2008
One of those movies that would open your eyes about topics you rarely even think about: identity crisis, violence, and the struggle to belong.
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MCT:July 2, 2008i love it!!! woman wants to be a man, she pretends to be one and then she falls in love with a woman. ending was sad. hilary swank and all the other actors were great!!
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MCT:July 2, 2008PAN AND SCAN. Si la dirección de Kimberly Peirce no fuera tan irritante, esta película resonaría mucho más. / If Kimberly Peirce's direction weren't so irritating, this movie would resonate much more.
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MCT:July 2, 2008
Raw, unvarnished power
A stirring, emotionally true testament to foolish bravery as well as shameful evidence of the severity with which it is so often punished. -
MCT:July 1, 2008
This kind of topic still have kind of misunderstanding, I love the plot, nd Hillary is a great actress, no doubt
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MCT:July 1, 2008
A powerful and disturbing true story.
Hilary Swank's performance as Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen was outstanding. She really deserved all the praise she got for the role. I couldn't stop crying through the whole rape scene and when she was with the nurse. Chloe Sevigny who played Brandon's girlfriend was amazing too, I really liked her character.
Anyone who is in the mood for a thought provoking film should definitely check this one out. -
MCT:June 24, 2008
Amazing Hilary plays a woman wanting to be a guy.. finds a girlfriend Chloe... But she gets found out! The consiquences are not nice!
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MCT:June 22, 2008arghhh i can never catch this phucking movie when its onnnn. i know its a damn good movie. i seen part of it and i loved it. Heartwrenching!
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One of the saddest films i have seen in my life. I left the theater with my heart in the pit of my stomach. I was so shocked by the brutality shown in the rape scene.
Due to the biographical content the film is based on Brandons life it is also a bitter pill to swallow because this film was not thought up in someones mind but it is a recount of horrific events. I am a believer that media having it's downfalls has its advantages by giving a large medium to an audience that would otherwise go unknown. This film opened my eyes. Saddly this film was so sad that it goes in the great film but will never watch it again because it really tears me up inside.
I am trying to see the film as a tribute to Brandons life and struggles, and a love story. -
MCT:June 15, 2008
A powerful piece of social protest, skillfully written, directed, and acted...Hilary Swank as Brandon and Chloe Sevigny as his girlfriend Lana are especially fine.
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MCT:June 13, 2008
shocking, sad, well acted, tragic movie about important thing. hard to watch, but should be watched.
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MCT:May 30, 2008
This film is basically about having the courage to be yourself and follow your dreams. All the performances are first rate, especially Hilary Swank who gives one of the best female performances in cinema history. Chloe Sevigny as Lana is especially memorable as the girl with dreams of a better life. A truly poignant and powerful film.
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MCT:May 22, 2008
A tragic, disturbing true story about intolerance towards a transgendered young woman whose life ends in a horrific way. Hilary Swank is absolutely brilliant as Brandon Teena.
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MCT:May 18, 2008
Absolutely stunning act by Hilary Swank..It's a really sad and dark story.. I just hate the fact that people in this movie can't accept that she was actually a girl!!! Let her be what she wanted to be, it's a human rights!!! Really strong violence, though..
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MCT:May 3, 2008
THE SADDEST FILM IVE EVER SAW AFTER WATCHING THIS MOVIE I CRYED FOR LIKE TWO DAYS AFTER BUT THEN AGEN I WAS LIKE 9
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MCT:April 27, 2008
Great acting & great story! Hillary Swank's best movie, did you notice that all movie that give Hillary Swank Oscars demand her to die in the end o f the story.
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MCT:April 24, 2008
Sad and disturbing. A glimpse at the life of someone who was unsure how to move forward and the losers who couldn't let go of their intolerance.
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MCT:April 15, 2008
Watching this was perhaps one of the most awful experiences of my life. It is the saddest story. ever.
