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The Boost

1988, Movie, R, 95 mins

The Boost: Review

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Though it's a seemingly sincere attempt to chronicle the horrors of drug abuse, THE BOOST is so haphazardly scripted and directed that the film becomes an inadvertent self-parody. Salvaged only by an interesting (if not completely successful) performance from fine actor James Woods, THE BOOST chronicles the rise and fall of a head-over-heels-in-love couple, Woods and Young, who succumb to the lure of the fast lane as Woods moves from two-bit New York City hustler to wealthy Los Angeles real estate tycoon. With the success, however, also comes a massive cocaine problem that ruins their lives. Considering the talent assembled, it's shocking THE BOOST is a such a botch. One searches for Nancy Reagan's name during the credits, as Darryl Ponicsan's paint-by-numbers script and director Harold Becker's numbingly ham-handed direction are the stuff of government-sponsored educational films. Melodramatic to an extreme, the film is full of unintentionally funny moments that effectively remove the audience from any emotional involvement with the tragic characters. None of this criticism is directed at the antidrug subject matter. Most addiction films are pretty much the same and follow terribly predictable formulas. Unfortunately, such films, if poorly done, actually encourage an audience to mock the fate of the characters, thus allowing viewers to dismiss the antidrug sentiment entirely. REEFER MADNESS and COCAINE FIENDS became big hits with the counterculture in the 1960s and 70s for exactly that reason. In the end, the films were used cynically to promote drug use rather than condemn it. leave a comment
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