Staying Alive
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976): 4 out of 10: This is going to be a weird one. There is so much to unpack here. First, let me confess, I watched the Rifftrax version of this film. It is a bit of a strange choice for Rifftrax. This is a drama writ large. It would be like a Rifftrax of Love Story or Terms of Endearment.
The next thing to unpack is Seinfeld’s Bubble Boy. He haunts this movie as it was such a wonderful parody of this film and circumstance. I spent the entire movie with the phrase “It’s Moors” stuck in my head.
The third unpacking is the cast of the film. You, of course, have John Travolta in short shorts. His real life love interest Diana Hyland, who was 18 years his senior, divorcing her husband, and unknown to both of them, was about to get a tragic fatal disease that would not be out of place in the film itself. She, in a creepish aside, plays his mother in the film. I know, I know it shouldn’t matter. But like the actor playing Dexter marrying the actress playing his sister, it illogically just seems… well creepy.
On the plus side, we have Robert Reed, Mr. Brady himself, as the father and a very young PJ Soles as one of the high school kids. Also on the plus side, this really isn’t that bad a movie. Though based on a true story, it really doesn’t tie itself to the true (and much more depressing) real life escapades. Travolta has a light touch, and the film seems to do a pleasant job humanizing the issues at hand. In addition, if you are watching the Rifftrax version, there are some pretty good riffs to keep you smiling through the slow bits. Definitely a fun time with Rifftrax and an interesting curiosity piece for those watching without.
RiffTrax Version
RiffTrax Version: 8 out 10: Like I say above, this is an overall fun time. The boys travel afield for the jokes, much to their credit. Plenty of material to work with considering the cast and the circumstances. Not to mention the overwhelming seventies of the whole made for TV production.
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