Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Bubble Boy: Be Warned!

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Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 08-24-2001, 02:34 AM:

This is further prook that Disney has no respect for theaters.

Not only do they demand that their trailers occupy (sometimes alone) their own prints, but they market a movie for kids that I made me wonder if I should be seeing some parts of it!

If you haven't ready my review of it in the Review Forum, I'm talking about BUBBLE BOY. Now, I did find the movie hilarious & I'm glad that I saw it, but the movie is destined to give us hell from the parents that will inevitably bring their kids to see & themselves, be offended by the movie. The film has been marketed by attached trailers on several disney prints for the past two months, and it's shown to be a light-hearted movie for all who would go to see a movie like The Princess Diaries. (Bear in mind that the Green Band, with content info has long sped through the projector & some will have forgotten about the listing: Crude Humor)

The movie itself has more sexual references, swearing, and language (including a racial slur) than the average film advertised on kids movies. Now, don't get me wrong, the movie is hilarious, but there will always be some parents who will chose to take their kids to see this movie. Parents, who don't look at rating reasons, who are only looking for a way to entertain their kids. These are the ones who (may) come stammering out of the theater demanding a refund (or more) because of the "filthy things" in this movie. So be ready for the worst.

Now, this probably won't scorn every theater (probably just mine ), but I was wondering about the chance after I thought about the movie's trailers. Our promotions manager made us attach Harry Potter (well, pretty much for ages 11 and up, but younger kids will like the magic), and Max Keeble came attached with the print (Max Keeble will probably only be liked by kids). Think about it, while Harry Potter might not be on most prints, Max Keeble is on every one! Disney is expecting kids to go see Bubble boy!

Maybe I'm paranoid (Hey, I've seen the mad parents coming down the hallway before), but could the trailer be an omen?

Just wanted to let everybody know & let everybody speak their minds.

Posted by Joshua Voorhies (Member # 824) on 08-24-2001, 04:05 AM:

I just saw Bubble Boy too. Freakin hilarious. My favorite part is the fake ransom note signed "The Jews."

Anyhow, parents who ignored the PG-13 rating and brought their seven-year-old to see it can be offered passes or a refund when they walk out 10 min into it (the first time the phrase "the whore next door" is used). Try not to let them chew your ear off when they bitch and moan about the theatre industry.

I swear, when people get a manager to register a complaint they feel they have to go out of their way to make sure it's a good one. They seem to feel the need to exagerate everything, when I all we want to do is get them what they want so we can continue serving the other patrons.

Of course, my favorite upset patrons are the ones who figured out the box office employees can do walk-out refunds without a manager.

"You mean employees can do things without a manager? What a concept!"

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-24-2001, 09:13 AM:

Is anyone getting protests from families with patients having immune deficiency disease?:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,32717,00.html
http://www.telegram.com/features/time_out/clips23.html

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-24-2001, 12:44 PM:

Wasn't there a made-for-TV movie about the "Bubble Boy" starring John Travolta in the late 70's?? I faintly remember watching it... but from what I do remember...it was not a comedy.

------------------
Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Nashville, Tennessee
(Drive-In Theatre - Start-Up)

Posted by John Schulien (Member # 215) on 08-24-2001, 01:06 PM:

Yes. It was called "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble."

For the IMDB listing, http://us.imdb.com/Title?0074236

- John

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 08-25-2001, 12:18 AM:

Yeah, we had protestors outside of the General Cinema at the Mall of America.
This is the article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune about one of the Minnesota people boycotting the movie: CLICK HERE

This other one has the movie's star defending the movie: CLICK HERE

So far, it's been smooth sailing at my theater, but I warned our ticket sellers to remind parents with young kids that it's PG13 for a reason.

Posted by Joshua Voorhies (Member # 824) on 08-25-2001, 06:09 AM:

Those people are bound and determined to be miserable. They can't laugh at anything- especially themselves.
Since they're so hell bent on being miserable, let them be miserable. I think we would be doing them a favor if we went out there and sprayed them with firehoses, then sent in ushers carrying clubs to beat the crap out of them. Essentially, we'd aid them in nailing themselves to their proverbial crucifixes; that way they wouldn't have to do it all by themselves.

Just for the record, Bubble Boy does have some satisfying social commentary under the surface of it's crude humor. Bubble Boy comes from an ultra-conservative narrow-minded background. When he gets out into the world, he meets people with viewpoints conflicting those he was raised with. Hilarity ensues. In the end he comes to be more respectful of diversity than his parents were, so it's not completely without moral, uplifting content.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-25-2001, 02:17 PM:

We got a letter from NATO today warning about possible protests about this movie.

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 08-25-2001, 11:48 PM:

One reviewer called it "The worst movie of the year." Now, I'll let him hve his opinion, but does he remember Freddy Got Fingered? In my opinion, the protestors may have him in their pocket ($$$)...

But I'm being paranoid again,
Too much X Files.

Posted by Bob Ferreira (Member # 102) on 08-28-2001, 11:45 PM:

My theatre has actually been warning people about the content of this movie. We had a parent and her daughter come in today to see The Princess Diaries and planned on going to see Bubble Boy that evening. We showed her a write-up from Screenit.com that we print off for all of our movies and decided against it. Just the idea of the movie is in bad taste anyway, and the sexual humor and the raunchy-ness of the film is pretty harsh. But, the movie IS PG-13 and it isn't for kids anyway, parents just assume if it isn't R it's OK and that isn't always the case, I guess.