"Boys on the Side," A Forgotten Heartfelt Film

Shhh, the weepy feelings sneak up on you later on

Ron Burgundy might say that 1995 was kind of a big deal for movies. Put down your Sex Panther cologne made from bits of real panther, everyone, and go watch it on Netflix before it gets taken off in a month.

Hey, that looks like a very young Matthew McConaughey!

Do you love:

• a pre-The View Whoopi Goldberg in serious actress mode?

• music?

• LGBTQ themes, from more than one character, surprise, that do equality well without slapping you in the face as a viewer?

• female friendships?

• the fantasy of cute policemen in uniform finding you attractive?

• Thelma and Louise chaos?

• revenge?

• Landscape porn of Saguaro cacti in Tucson, Arizona?

• top 90’s fashion during the real 90’s?

This movie is for you. 🌵

On the LGBTQ theme, I really enjoy some older films that do it nicely because you know nobody forced anyone into this film on or off camera. They feel genuine. Characters are fully developed human beings. 2025 throws more LGBTQ material into the world, but much of it is corporate in the connection to audiences.

Boys on the Side kicks off slowly. You think, “This is it?” And it builds. Again. Again. Repeat. The big crescendo. The tears. Done. Credits. A pattern we don’t do in 2025 enough. This week, I watched My Oxford Year, a Netflix romcom that felt like I could guess the entire plot device from the trailer words “from the producers of The Fault in Our Stars.” I was right. This doesn’t make it terrible for anyone who did enjoy My Oxford Year, it’s how you know from the beginning how it’s going to play out and what beats it hits in the script. Sorry, I preferred the original copy. Burn me at the stake. I rewatched The Fault in Our Stars whenever it was on TV at the time because it was so good. One simply does walk into Mordor. One simply cannot recreate the magic of The Fault in Our Stars. 😉

Rewatching Boys on the Side 30 years after it came out, the details forgotten in my head, felt like, “How have movies not been like this since 1995? What do you do to bring them back?” No reality TV woman against woman friendship fallout. I’m over movies and shows about women making fun of each other. These women had real friendships in the film.

I cannot sell you on this movie any longer without giving away the plot. Watch it!