Bubble Boy

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Entertainment: +2

Content: -2

Born without an immune system, Jimmy (Jake Gyllenhaal) lives his entire life in a special plastic tent inside his Palmdale, California room. Chloe (Marley Shelton), the girl next door, befriends Jimmy and shares many of his likes. When Chloe announces she getting married in Niagara Falls, Jimmy must find a way to cross the country without getting out of his plastic-sealed world. He creates a mobile suit that looks like a clear beach ball and sets out for New York. Along the way he encounters a philosophical biker, a Hindu ice cream and curry salesman, circus freaks who look at him as family and cult members who see the bubble boy as a messiah. But to show his love for Chloe, can Jimmy risk getting out of his bubble?

The film has drawn criticism from the Immune Deficiency Foundation and the family of a real boy in a bubble. But the story has other problems including crude language and sexual comments along with an obvious male arousal. Caricatured as an overzealous Christian, Jimmys mother (Swoosie Kurtz) thinks of the world as filthy and evil, and refers to Chloe as not the kind of friend Jesus would pick. Jimmy also tells his Hindu friend his religion is lies, according to the mother. Even for a spoof, BUBBLE BOY has too many offensive holes.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures (Disney), 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank CA 91521

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (26) times - Mild 7, moderate19

Obscene Language: Several (5) times - S-word 1, other 3, finger gesture 1

Profanity: Several (5) times - Regular 1 (swear to G); exclamatory 4 (OMG)

Violence: Several times - Mild and moderate slapstick ( fall down steps/roll in bubble, bubble hit by bus/ car, boy thrown out of bus, bubble boy tossed at rock concert, man thrown against truck wall, cow on road run over by truck/ entrails on road, fire explosion, wrestling, float over waterfall

Sex: None

Nudity: Once (male baby); Near Nudity - Few times (cleavage emphasized, bikinis, woman in underwear)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Obvious male arousal, focus on breasts, girl says wants boy for birthday, crude description of prom plans, girls stand by hot virgins sign, comment about rubber being good sometimes, women mud wrestlers, partially heard Oriental name sounds like slang for sex

Drugs: Beer drinking, cigarette smoking, drunken behavior

Other: Girl defends and befriends bubble boy, mother presents negatively as overzealous Christian, cult sees boy as messiah, cult beliefs expressed, cult bus painted with Gil 3:16, fake ransom note blames Jews, slot machine gambling, old men appear to die

Running Time: 84 minutes
Intended Audience: Teens

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