Product Details

• Actors: John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Robert Reed, Diana Hyland, Karen Morrow
• Directors: Randal Kleiser
• Writers: Douglas Day Stewart, Joe Morgenstern
• Producers: Aaron Spelling, Cindy Dunne, Joel Thurm, Leonard Goldberg, Shelley Hull
• Format: PAL
• Language: English
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004CVZ8

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
Before their blockbuster collaboration on Grease, John Travolta and director Randal Kleiser boosted their early careers with this well-acted, sensitively directed television movie. Teenager Tod Lubitch (Travolta) is forced to live in a plastic isolation chamber because he was born with a nonfunctioning immune system, leaving him vulnerable to even the most common everyday viruses. A unique coming-of-age story, the movie (first telecast in 1976) has become the subject of jokes over the years, but Travolta's comeback has sparked new interest in the star's Welcome Back, Kotter days. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Boy In The Plastic Bubble, January 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (DVD)

I remember watching this movie on television when I was a little girl. I cried like a baby, then.

When I watch it now, a tear still comes to my eye because of the "overall" meaning.

Being done in the 1970's, the quality is less than perfect and the sound is distorted. However, since I remember it when I was younger, it holds my interest until the end.

The end? Which I always thought was a disappointment, they never stated what happened to him. It took me several hours of research to find out what happened to the real "Boy In The Plastic Bubble." For those of you who would like to know: His real name was "David Vetter." He died at age 12 from a bone marrow transplant.

I would recommend this movie for persons who remember watching it when they were younger or for people who are interested in SCID. (Severe Combined Immune Deficiency)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars PRETTY GOOD FOR A TV MOVIE., February 13, 2002

By	Brett Johnson "xfile1971" (Phoenix, AZ - USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (DVD)

I actually enjoyed "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble" more than I thought I would. After all, it has been the topic of many jokes over the years. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had some very nice human elements to it. John Travolta did a pretty good job of playing Tod, a teenager with a severe immune deficiency who is forced to live in an enclosed germ free area in his house. He spent a lot of the film acting rather goofy and socially inept. That made a lot of sense though for someone who had limited contact with the general public.

Tod has spent many years watching the teenage girl next door, Gina (Glynnis O'Connor). He is extremely attracted to her but whether she feels the same way about him is questionable. Eventually, Tod is able to go through a series of steps which allow him more and more freedom. He uses this new found freedom to both try and fit in with the other kids as best he can and also woo Gina. There are some touching moments between the two of them although at times it crosses over into being too cut and dry. I would've liked the filmmakers to have made the situation between them a bit more complex.

Robert Reed and Diana Hyland, who play Tod's parents, are given less screen time than one might think. The real story here is about Tod's dreams of one day being "normal" and falling in love with Gina. His relationship with his parents is very secondary. Oddly, Hyland won an Emmy for her performance even though she didn't get a chance to exhibit any real emotion or acting skill.

"The Boy In The Plastic Bubble" doesn't know if it wants to be more of a romance or a medical drama. It ends up doing both fairly well and is worth the buy at such a low price.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great story, low quality dvd but worth purchasing, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (DVD)

It is great to see this movie again after so many years. The story is still great.

The quality of the DVD is not great but for the low price and a great story it is worth the purchase.

The quality of the picture is very old, poor quality. It looks as if the master copy did not age very well. There is also a bad spot in the software and about 1 minute of the film is scrambled. The DVD package is a simple cardbord box and plastic insert.

A good economic purchase.