FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Boys On The Side 

At the very end of Boys On The Side, you see an empty room. And then we remember who was in that room before and how much we grew to love them! This is amazing, because Boys On The Side seems a bit contrived at first and not special at all! It all starts with a typical Meet Cute. Jane (Whoopi Goldberg) is fired from a seedy club in New York. She decides to take her fate into her own hands and move west. Therefore, she answers the ad of Robin (Mary-Louise Parker), who has a car and is looking for a driver. Robin, who is definitely "The whitest human in America"; according to Jane. One whose favorite movie is "The Way We Were." Nonetheless, Jane needs a ride. So they both hit the road and we suspect that now follows one of Whoopi Goldberg's stellar performances in which she gives us lessons in black appreciation. Then they make a stopover in Pittsburgh to visit Jane's friend Holly (Drew Barrymore). One can only wonder; Holly, of all people, whose boyfriend Nick (Billy Wirth) is a paranoid drunk who beats her up? This time it's Robin who calmly intervenes, as if domestic violence is no cause for alarm. Everyone falls silent in astonishment and it gets quiet. But Holly still has to tie Nick to a chair and bring him to heel with a baseball bat before the trio disappears. Three women on their way west. three orriginals and suddenly we are in the movie. We like Jane, Robin and Holly, we want them to be okay! (Sometimes the story that ensures the three are on the run seems a bit contrived, but so be it). What's it about? It's about diving really deep into the lives of Jane, Robin and Holly. What do they think about each other? What do they feel? It quickly becomes clear that Jane is a lesbian. But what does Robin think about it? Does she even realize it? The catalyst in this constellation is Holly with her energy and good humor (but still brooding all the time). It is Holly who welds them all together into a family. She is the secret center of the film and is therefore allowed to fall in love with Arizona police officer Abraham Lincoln (Matthew McConaughey). (And he even takes his name seriously) And the great Whoopi Goldberg? Here, for once, she doesn't waste her talent, but exercises restraint, appearing mature and wise. She never looks for laughs, instead she approaches her character almost genteelly. Boys On The Side is one of the great women's films of the 90s. It's about female bonding, unspoken love, and women on the run. When a video store owner asks me if I have a movie like Fried Green Tomatoes, I answer, "Sure - Boys On The Side." A road movie that shows us how strangers become friends. And from friends to family. It's so hard to get to know someone. But if you succeed, you should be able to ask them anything. You can just talk about anything! That's where Boys On The Side takes us.