Bubble Boy *** (2001, Jake Gyllenhaal, Swoosie Kurtz, Marley Shelton) – Classic Movie Review 1727

The 20-year-old Jake Gyllenhaal gives an appealing, expert performance in director Blair Hayes’s 2001 drama. Gyllenhaal does wonders with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio’s tricky romantic comedy script about an immune-deficient boy called Jimmy Livingston.

Born without an immune system, Jimmy is forced to live his life in a plastic bubble in his bedroom. He is appalled to find out that Chloe (Marley Shelton), the neighbouring woman he has loved since childhood, is about to be married to someone else at Niagara Falls. So he makes a portable bubble suit to drive nearly 3000 miles from California to Niagara to stop her marrying the slobbish Mark (Dave Sheridan) and win her affections for himself.

Swoosie Kurtz also does well as Jimmy’s cleanliness-obsessed mum and Shelton is good as the girl. John Carroll Lynch co-stars as Jimmy’s father, Danny Trejo plays Slim and Verne Troyer is Dr Phreak.

See also the very similar The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, directed by Randal Kleiser in 1975 and starring John Travolta.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1727

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