Bubble Boy
Encyclopedia
Bubble Boy is a 2001 comedy film
directed by Blair Hayes and stars Jake Gyllenhaal
in the title role.
mother only exposes him to Highlights
magazine and the Land of the Lost
for entertainment. When he is a teenager, a girl named Chloe moves in next door. Jimmy is immediately taken with her, and eventually befriends her despite his mothers' discouragement.
One day, Chloe visits Jimmy and tells him that she is leaving for Niagara Falls
to marry her boyfriend, Mark, in three days. Jimmy is upset by this revelation and they separate on bad terms. Later, Jimmy opens a gift Chloe had brought him, a homemade snow globe
with the phrase I Love You written in it. Jimmy realizes that Chloe cares for him . Realizing how much he cares for her, Jimmy builds a mobile bubble suit and runs away from home, determined to stop the wedding.
On the first day of his journey, he's unable to afford a bus ride to Niagara Falls, but is picked up by an overly enthusiastic cult on a pilgrimage towards enlightenment. But after Jimmy unintentionally offends the cult (by referring to them as a cult), he is marooned in the desert. By this time, Jimmy's mother has discovered her son missing, so she and her husband set off to find Jimmy.
While traveling through the desert, Jimmy meets Slim, a biker with a flat tire. Jimmy offers to fix the flat with some patches and the two become friends. Elsewhere, Gil, the leader of the cult Jimmy met, has revealed their messiah is "the round one," and that whoever rejects him will suffer. The group who abandoned Jimmy regret their actions and set off to find him. Jimmy and Slim have traveled to Las Vegas
in hopes of scoring enough money to get to Niagara Falls. However, Slim gets caught up in the Vegas life so Jimmy goes on without him. The cult runs into Slim in Vegas while asking for directions. Slim recognizes them from Jimmy's story and threatens them, only to have his bike destroyed by the cult bus. Enraged, Slim rallies a gang of bikers to get even.
While riding a motor scooter he won in Vegas, Jimmy is recognized by his parents, but veers off the road into a train filled with circus freaks and conducted by their "owner," Dr. Phreak. Dr. Phreak finds Jimmy and demands that he's keeping him as an attraction of his circus. Jimmy refuses, knocking him unconscious, allowing the circus freaks to escape.
Jimmy then wanders into a restaurant where an Indian man is being antagonized by the ignorant townspeople. When Jimmy tries to defend him, the townspeople begin to probe him about his suit, but panic and evacuate the restaurant when they misunderstand his illness. The sheriff locks him in the restaurant and quarantines it, unintentionally setting the building on fire. Luckily, Jimmy is saved by Pushpop, the Ice Cream & Curry truck driver he had defended earlier. He and Jimmy escape the town that now is in flames. Pushpop thanks Jimmy for his earlier kindness and agrees to take him to Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, Jimmy's parents have met up with Dr. Phreak, whom Jimmy's mother mistakes for a child and brings along with them. Elsewhere in Niagara Falls, Chloe is apprehensive about marrying Mark and can't stop thinking of Jimmy.
Later, Pushpop accidentally runs over a cow and feels he must atone for his actions, unable to continue the journey. Jimmy sets off on foot by and ends up in a small town in Illinois. Here he meets Pappy, a cab driver who agrees to take him to Niagara Falls for $500 dollars. To earn the money Jimmy goes into a Japanese casino nearby and enters a mud wrestling competition with two women for a convenient prize of $500. Jimmy eventually wins, but just as he is about to leave he runs into the cult again. Proclaiming his as their chosen one, they plan on "releasing" Jimmy from his bubble. Luckily, the freaks have followed Jimmy and realizing he's in danger, disguise themselves as members of the cult and trick them into believing they're mutating for their earlier crimes against Jimmy. During this commotion, Slim and his bikers arrive on the scene. The Bikers, the Freaks, and the Cult all begin fighting to "save" Jimmy in their own ways. In the confusion, Jimmy escapes in the Taxi.
On the last day in his journey, Pappy and Jimmy have now arrived in New York, but Pappy is unresponsive, having apparently died behind the wheel overnight, forcing Jimmy to abandon the moving taxi before it crashes. Jimmy tries to call Chloe to tell him of his success, only to reach her fiancée Mark, who rudely convinces him that Chloe doesn't really love him. Jimmy becomes depressed at this assumed rejection and calls Dr. Phreak, ready to assume his role as a freak like the others. However, his parents overhear Dr. Phreak's conversation, and upon learning his location, dump Dr. Phreak out of their (moving) car and rush to retrieve him.
When his parents pick him up, Jimmy and his father are sitting alone in the car. His father (who is more level-headed than his wife) regrets that Jimmy is giving up when he is so close. Jimmy's father then looks the other way while Jimmy escapes to finish his mission. Upon his mother discovering this, they begin chasing him down in the car, but a biplane swoops down out of nowhere and picks Jimmy up. The pilot is Pappy's Brother, Pippy. Finally, Jimmy reaches Niagara Falls but falls out of the plane and into the Falls itself.
Jimmy manages to escape the water and arrives just in time to stop the wedding. He then removes his bubble suit, allowing him to touch the girl he loves for the first time. Upon kissing her, Jimmy collapses and presumably dies in front of everyone in the church, as well as all the people who have been chasing after him (the cult, the Freaks, the Bikers, and his parents.) Jimmy's mother then (encouraged by her husband) confesses that Jimmy had developed an immune system when he was four, revealing that he is not actually dead at all. Mrs. Livingston had hidden this fact from Jimmy to protect him from the "corrupting" world. Jimmy forgives her and resumes kissing Chloe.
Finally, Jimmy and Chloe are married with all of Jimmy's new friends in attendance. Jimmy's mom (who is revealed to be a former girlfriend of Slim nicknamed Wildfire) rides off with Slim and Jimmy's father. Pushpop has become the new leader of the former cult who are apparently now followers of Hinduism. Dr. Phreak has befriended his band of freaks. Pippy and Pappy (who've reconciled after a past disagreement), drive off with Jimmy and Chloe to their honeymoon
.
.
The film also received mostly negative reviews from critics, and currently has a 29% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
, based on 82 reviews (24 "fresh", 58 "rotten"). The consensus on the site reads, "Bubble Boy bounces along with lame, offensive jokes that are more tasteless than funny."
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Blair Hayes and stars Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten...
in the title role.
Plot
Jimmy Livingston was born without an immune system and is forced to live in a sterilized dome in his bedroom, earning him the title "Bubble Boy" by his neighbors. Jimmy's devout, right-wing, ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
mother only exposes him to Highlights
Highlights for Children
Highlights for Children is an American children's magazine. It began publication in June 1946, started by Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania...
magazine and the Land of the Lost
Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)
Land of the Lost is a children's television series co-created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. During its original run, it was broadcast on the NBC television network....
for entertainment. When he is a teenager, a girl named Chloe moves in next door. Jimmy is immediately taken with her, and eventually befriends her despite his mothers' discouragement.
One day, Chloe visits Jimmy and tells him that she is leaving for Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
to marry her boyfriend, Mark, in three days. Jimmy is upset by this revelation and they separate on bad terms. Later, Jimmy opens a gift Chloe had brought him, a homemade snow globe
Snow globe
A snow globe is a transparent sphere, usually made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a landscape. The sphere also encloses the water in the globe; the water serves as the medium through which the "snow" falls. To activate the snow, the globe is...
with the phrase I Love You written in it. Jimmy realizes that Chloe cares for him . Realizing how much he cares for her, Jimmy builds a mobile bubble suit and runs away from home, determined to stop the wedding.
On the first day of his journey, he's unable to afford a bus ride to Niagara Falls, but is picked up by an overly enthusiastic cult on a pilgrimage towards enlightenment. But after Jimmy unintentionally offends the cult (by referring to them as a cult), he is marooned in the desert. By this time, Jimmy's mother has discovered her son missing, so she and her husband set off to find Jimmy.
While traveling through the desert, Jimmy meets Slim, a biker with a flat tire. Jimmy offers to fix the flat with some patches and the two become friends. Elsewhere, Gil, the leader of the cult Jimmy met, has revealed their messiah is "the round one," and that whoever rejects him will suffer. The group who abandoned Jimmy regret their actions and set off to find him. Jimmy and Slim have traveled to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in hopes of scoring enough money to get to Niagara Falls. However, Slim gets caught up in the Vegas life so Jimmy goes on without him. The cult runs into Slim in Vegas while asking for directions. Slim recognizes them from Jimmy's story and threatens them, only to have his bike destroyed by the cult bus. Enraged, Slim rallies a gang of bikers to get even.
While riding a motor scooter he won in Vegas, Jimmy is recognized by his parents, but veers off the road into a train filled with circus freaks and conducted by their "owner," Dr. Phreak. Dr. Phreak finds Jimmy and demands that he's keeping him as an attraction of his circus. Jimmy refuses, knocking him unconscious, allowing the circus freaks to escape.
Jimmy then wanders into a restaurant where an Indian man is being antagonized by the ignorant townspeople. When Jimmy tries to defend him, the townspeople begin to probe him about his suit, but panic and evacuate the restaurant when they misunderstand his illness. The sheriff locks him in the restaurant and quarantines it, unintentionally setting the building on fire. Luckily, Jimmy is saved by Pushpop, the Ice Cream & Curry truck driver he had defended earlier. He and Jimmy escape the town that now is in flames. Pushpop thanks Jimmy for his earlier kindness and agrees to take him to Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, Jimmy's parents have met up with Dr. Phreak, whom Jimmy's mother mistakes for a child and brings along with them. Elsewhere in Niagara Falls, Chloe is apprehensive about marrying Mark and can't stop thinking of Jimmy.
Later, Pushpop accidentally runs over a cow and feels he must atone for his actions, unable to continue the journey. Jimmy sets off on foot by and ends up in a small town in Illinois. Here he meets Pappy, a cab driver who agrees to take him to Niagara Falls for $500 dollars. To earn the money Jimmy goes into a Japanese casino nearby and enters a mud wrestling competition with two women for a convenient prize of $500. Jimmy eventually wins, but just as he is about to leave he runs into the cult again. Proclaiming his as their chosen one, they plan on "releasing" Jimmy from his bubble. Luckily, the freaks have followed Jimmy and realizing he's in danger, disguise themselves as members of the cult and trick them into believing they're mutating for their earlier crimes against Jimmy. During this commotion, Slim and his bikers arrive on the scene. The Bikers, the Freaks, and the Cult all begin fighting to "save" Jimmy in their own ways. In the confusion, Jimmy escapes in the Taxi.
On the last day in his journey, Pappy and Jimmy have now arrived in New York, but Pappy is unresponsive, having apparently died behind the wheel overnight, forcing Jimmy to abandon the moving taxi before it crashes. Jimmy tries to call Chloe to tell him of his success, only to reach her fiancée Mark, who rudely convinces him that Chloe doesn't really love him. Jimmy becomes depressed at this assumed rejection and calls Dr. Phreak, ready to assume his role as a freak like the others. However, his parents overhear Dr. Phreak's conversation, and upon learning his location, dump Dr. Phreak out of their (moving) car and rush to retrieve him.
When his parents pick him up, Jimmy and his father are sitting alone in the car. His father (who is more level-headed than his wife) regrets that Jimmy is giving up when he is so close. Jimmy's father then looks the other way while Jimmy escapes to finish his mission. Upon his mother discovering this, they begin chasing him down in the car, but a biplane swoops down out of nowhere and picks Jimmy up. The pilot is Pappy's Brother, Pippy. Finally, Jimmy reaches Niagara Falls but falls out of the plane and into the Falls itself.
Jimmy manages to escape the water and arrives just in time to stop the wedding. He then removes his bubble suit, allowing him to touch the girl he loves for the first time. Upon kissing her, Jimmy collapses and presumably dies in front of everyone in the church, as well as all the people who have been chasing after him (the cult, the Freaks, the Bikers, and his parents.) Jimmy's mother then (encouraged by her husband) confesses that Jimmy had developed an immune system when he was four, revealing that he is not actually dead at all. Mrs. Livingston had hidden this fact from Jimmy to protect him from the "corrupting" world. Jimmy forgives her and resumes kissing Chloe.
Finally, Jimmy and Chloe are married with all of Jimmy's new friends in attendance. Jimmy's mom (who is revealed to be a former girlfriend of Slim nicknamed Wildfire) rides off with Slim and Jimmy's father. Pushpop has become the new leader of the former cult who are apparently now followers of Hinduism. Dr. Phreak has befriended his band of freaks. Pippy and Pappy (who've reconciled after a past disagreement), drive off with Jimmy and Chloe to their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
.
Cast
- Jimmy Livingston – Jake GyllenhaalJake GyllenhaalJacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten...
- Mrs. Livingston – Swoosie KurtzSwoosie KurtzSwoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
- Chloe – Marley SheltonMarley SheltonMarley Eve Shelton is an American film and television actress.Shelton began her acting career in her late teens, and appeared in several 1990s' television movies and shows. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed drama Grand Canyon , and was cast in the films The Sandlot , Nixon , and...
- Slim – Danny TrejoDanny TrejoDan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
- Mr. Livingston – John Carroll LynchJohn Carroll LynchJohn Carroll Lynch is an American actor, known for his role as Drew Carey's cross-dressing brother on The Drew Carey Show, and for his role as Norm, the unassuming husband of Margie Gunderson in Fargo....
- Dr. Phreak – Verne TroyerVerne TroyerVerne J. Troyer is an American stand-up comedian, actor, stuntman and performer, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series...
- Mark – Dave Sheridan
- Pushpop – Brian GeorgeBrian GeorgeBrian George is a British-Israeli actor and voice actor for Indian accents, who typically plays guest roles for characters of South Asian descent. Perhaps his most famous role is as Pakistani restaurateur Babu Bhatt on Seinfeld.-Early life:...
- Pappy/Pippy – Patrick CranshawPatrick CranshawJoseph Patrick Cranshaw was an American film and television actor known for his distinctive look and deadpan humor. He is best known for one of his last roles, that of Joseph "Blue" Pulaski, a fraternity brother in the 2003 hit comedy Old School...
- Chicken Man – Stephen Spinella
- Lisa – Ever CarradineEver CarradineEver Dawn Carradine is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Tiffany Porter on Once and Again and as Kelly Ludlow on Commander in Chief.-Early life:...
- Flipper Boy – Geoffrey ArendGeoffrey Arend-Life and career:Arend was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, to a Caucasian father and a Pakistani mother. He graduated from New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1996. In 2000, he began providing voices for video games such as Daria's...
- Lil' Zip – BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice (entertainer)Lester Napoleon Green , known legally as Beetlejuice , is a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show and a member of Stern's Wack Pack. He has appeared in feature films as well as performed voice-over work...
- Human Sasquatch – Matthew McGroryMatthew McGroryMatthew McGrory was an American actor, known for his great height.-Early life:McGrory was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. McGrory studied pre-law at Widener University, where he resided in campus housing on the first floor of Howell Hall. Studied Criminal Justice at West Chester University....
- Rubber Woman – Bonnie Morgan
- Working Girl – Stacy KeiblerStacy KeiblerStacy Keibler is an American actress, model, and former professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment ....
- Gil – Fabio LanzoniFabio LanzoniFabio Lanzoni ; born March 15, 1959), widely known simply as Fabio, is a famous international Italian fashion model, spokesperson and actor who appeared on the cover of hundreds of romance novels throughout the 1980s and 1990s....
- Bus Stop Man – Zach GalifianakisZach GalifianakisZachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
- Lorraine – Arden MyrinArden MyrinArden Myrin is an American comedian and actress known for her role on the television show MADtv.-Early years:Myrin was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, a seaside fishing village. She was the younger of two children; her father was an accountant, and her mother was a real estate agent. As a...
- Todd – Pablo SchreiberPablo SchreiberPablo Tell Schreiber is an American actor known for his dramatic stage work and for his portrayal of the Polish-American character Nick Sobotka on HBO's Baltimore drug-related crime drama The Wire. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Awake and Sing! on Broadway...
Reception
Bubble Boy was both a critical and commercial failure. The film opened at #13 at the U.S. Box office raking in $2,038,349 USD in its first opening weekend, being a major box office bombBox office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
.
The film also received mostly negative reviews from critics, and currently has a 29% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 82 reviews (24 "fresh", 58 "rotten"). The consensus on the site reads, "Bubble Boy bounces along with lame, offensive jokes that are more tasteless than funny."