my Movie

Movie Details

Title:   Boys on the Run
Director:   Daisuke Miura
Year:   2010
Genre:   Sex Comedy
Times Seen:   1
Last Seen:   09.27.11

Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)

Notes History
Date Viewed Venue Note
09.27.11Alamo South LamarThis Screening is part of event: FantasticFest 2011
A sex comedy about a poor schlubby guy who's too horny and screws up a relationship with his dream girl, then vies for some form of redemption and justice when she screws his friend and gets pregnant. This has been billed as a romantic comedy with all the parts that are usually cut out left in, or a "feel-bad" comedy. It's true that most of the movie is a relentless pity party for the main guy, who just can't get things to go his way.

I liked this, although my Western conventional nature shined through at the end. I'll have to delve into spoilers to explain so stop reading if you care. The takeaway is that I liked it but it was one of those scenarios where i pictured a better ending in my head and was disappointed with what they gave me.






So... when he decides to fight his friend who preggered up his dream girl then dumped her, he goes on this boxing training quest with an old alkie co-worker. He really finds some confidence, cuts his hair into a mohawk, and even knocks someone out on his way to the fight. But then during the fight he doesn't land a single blow and his only offense is peeing on the friend while he was pinned down. Then he cries. Then he sees his dream girl at the train station right before she leaves town and grovels for her to sleep with him. She agrees but it's a trap and that's not what she wants and, still crying, he pushes her onto the train and leaves. Someone comes up to him and asks if he's ok and he smiles and gives a thumb's up.

OK, so it's a decent enough ending and technically on paper it seems he got some sort of redemption, but on screen it was nowhere near rewarding enough for me. I wanted him to finally yell at her and tell her she's stupid and a slut for sleeping with everyone BUT the guy who cares about her. I wanted him to stand tall in front of her rather than cry and grovel, even if it was a "trap" of sorts. But mostly, I wanted the old alkie mentor to get up after the main guy lost the fight, cooly decide that this guy was a good guy and deserved some satisfaction, and walk back up to the friend's office and kick the ever-loving shit out of that guy. He's such a slime-ball for the WHOLE movie and never gets any come-uppance. I know this movie is trying to put conventions on their ear and all that, and you're supposed to really be rooting for the main guy during the fight and be heart-broken when he loses... but COME ON! I just wanted it so much... and it could've easily happened. I guess the point is that the friend does get away clean, but still. I hated that.

So anyway, I liked it even though it made me angry.