On B List of Movie Reviews
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Boxing Helena (1993)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
10/10
10/10:
Because the premise of Boxing Helena mostly takes place in dream, where's the controversy?
How stupid of the critics. Anyone can dream anything. That's why it's called a "dream." Anyway, the movie is terrible and
boring, reeking too much of David Lynch's style. Of course, it stars somebody from Twin Peaks. Hence, David's daughter
directed it, but had she ever heard of originality? After the film's release, Jennifer Lynch's career fell apart.
The acting is all right, and nobody makes a difference. The story and the pace are the major problems; it's
not interesting, and things move slowly.
Sherilyn Fenn, who's recognizable from Two Moon Junction, seems to have a knack for appearing in
this type of films, so I guess the genre suits her well. It depends on the right director in order to maximize her potential.
Julian Sands, who's a better actor than this, can't save the film, either. The ear piece...is he trying to mimic
Brando's trademark? Bill Paxton looks like a fool with the silly hairdo and muscle shirts. Can you say "overdone"?
The writing was on the wall as soon as I saw the aftermath of the truck accident with Helena. There's no way that
anyone would have survived it without proper medical care including I.V. fluids, blood transfusions, medication, and
fancy equipment.
On the other hand, the cinematography looks nice, but is it typical of David Lynch's films? I guess Jennifer asked her daddy,
"Can I borrow your crew for a while?" The tagline of the movie poster says: "THE MOST TALKED ABOUT FILM OF THE YEAR." That's
funny because almost nobody saw it in 1993. By the way, Boxing Helena bankrupted Kim Basinger who initially agreed to
star in it but backed out after reading the revised script which required her to be nude in some scenes.
All in all, when Madonna turns down a film like Boxing Helena, it's a warning for everybody else to stay far away from
the turd.