Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

ianlouisiana The Great Beast of British cinema ,the eccentrics' eccentric,the mavericks' maverick,Michael Winner with visual flair....whatever your opinion of Mr K.Russell he should be regarded as more than just a purveyor of "Ken Russell Films" In "The Boyfriend" he ventured far outside what may be considered his comfort zone and came up with what maybe considered the best British musical film ever made - although that maybe unintentionally damning it with faint praise. It parades his usual flamboyance without being rococo,his flair for mixing visual images with music and his ability - when he cares enough about a project - to get his cast to act out of their skins. In the 1950s Sandy Wilson,along with Julian Slade put provincial bums on seats in London theatres with tuneful,carefree shows and revues. Frothy and gay they might have been but we lapped them up. Leave the theatre,walk along the Embankment to a Hot Pie Stall,mingle with a few "real cockneys" then hurry back to Victoria to catch the midnight train, flushed with our own daring. The sort of people - in short - Mr Russell hated. He got his own back fifteen years later by deflowering our beloved"The Girlfriend" and many older theatregoers never forgave him for it. But he turned her into a smart,snazzy,funny,brash and entertaining film that will make you leave the cinema happier than when you went in. And to me that's the primary object of any film. Life's depressing enough without paying good money to get even more depressed....right?

earlytalkie This film has never looked or sounded better than on the newly-released blu ray. Twiggy makes an enchanting screen debut in a totally unique contribution to the musical. The slim story tells of a run down theater troupe putting on a production of THE BOY FRIEND. Assistant Stage Manager Polly Brown (Twiggy) has to go on in place of the injured star (A marvelous, unbilled Glenda Jackson). This means Polly will have to play love scenes with a leading man she has had a mad crush on. (Christopher Gable). The house is near empty, and the star won't be missed too much, but wait! A Mr. DeThrill has arrived to scout out the performance! This gives director Ken Russell the chance to show us some stunning dream numbers which pay homage to early Hollywood musicals like SHOW OF SHOWS, (1929), FLYING DOWN TO RIO, (1933), and in particular, the work of Busby Berkeley. This is a totally unique show, but one that is worth warming up to.

Martin Bradley A camp classic but also so much more. The critics came down like a ton of bricks on Ken Russell's musical comedy which was, on the one hand, a screen version of Sandy Wilson's show and, on the other, a comment on the 'putting-on-a-show' kind of musical popular in the early thirties. Russell's idea of opening up most of the numbers, as in a big Busby Berkeley production, worked brilliantly but didn't please either the critics or the public; still it made a movie star (of sorts) out of the model Twiggy who is charm personified while the former ballet dancer Christopher Gable is a delightful leading man. It's also got a great supporting cast of some of the best British character players of the time, including an unbilled Glenda Jackson - Go out there and be so great you'll make me hate you - and whatever happened to Antonia Ellis and Georgina Hale, both brilliant here, as well as Broadway's Tommy Tune whose dancing comes close to stopping the show. Unfortunately it wasn't really a commercial success and is seldom seen now but if, like me, you have any interest in the musical, catch it; it's absolutely fabulous!

s_roberts235 THE BOY FRIEND is simultaneously a parody of, and a tribute to, the musicals of the thirties. When the star of a cheesy English musical hall play is injured, the assistant stage manager, Polly Browne, has to take her place. And of course, the great Hollywood director Cedil B. de Thrill is in the audience talent scouting, Polly is in love with the male lead (something everyone but him knows), the musical's director is rewriting the show as he goes, and one of the cast is intent on sabotaging everyone else to get noticed by de Thrill.Periodically, we get brilliantly done big stage numbers based on the great 1930s screen musicals of Busby Berkeley, all done absolutely perfectly.The cast is marvelous. Whether playing it straight or deliberately overacting every note is perfect.For lovers of musicals, this is a must.