Customer Reviews

The Boys

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Boys" is one of those fun, non-cerebral movies that wasn't made with Oscar in mind. It's pure entertainment. The formula is trite: local amateur hockey team made of not-very-good players (though they mean well) has a gambling-addicted owner/manager/coach who's about to lose the team to a thug unless they win the next game. You figure out the ending. As someone else mentioned, a few of the jokes fall flat but it's still an enjoyable movie. Even though the ending is obvious, there's still enough tension during the final game to make it suspenseful.

The US version of the DVD is awful. The picture is fine, and the original French language track is great for those of us who are originally from "up north" and speak French fluently. But the English dubbing is *REALLY* bad: there's no emotion (the voice actors actually sound bored) and the voices really don't fit the characters. Surprisingly, there are no subtitles. The only extra is a filmography of some of the actors, but with no pictures to accompany their names, you don't know who's who!

Get your hands on the original Canadian release (either a quick trip to Canada is in order or check out HMV.com) with the title "Les Boys" for a much better product. Although the terrible dubbed track is still present, there's also the wonderful option of the original French track with English subtitles...MUCH better! The extras also include trailers, a filmography *with* pictures, and a 20-minute promo piece (in French) on a Molson-sponsored tour of The Boys playing hockey in arenas throughout Quebec.

On the second weekend of November 1997, three major movies where released in Montreal. First was MGM's "Tomorrow Never Dies" with a budget of close to $100 million US. It was expected to be a hit like the previous James Bond "Goldeneye". The other one, was going to be the biggest blockbuster of all time, yet nobody new it at the time. It was James Cameron's "Titanic", at $200 million US, the biggest budget for a movie at the time. The third one, was a $3.5 million (in Canadian fund) comedy.

Legend says that one of the producers of "Titanic", looking at the first weekends box office results said "what the f*?%"* is Les Boys". The small French "Québécois" comedy was number one in Quebec, Canada. The week after, "Titanic" ruled, but "Les Boys" became the biggest Quebec box office maker ever, with only "Titanic" on top of it.

It is most certainly not for the movies quality that this became so. Its a formulaic comedy, with jokes that most of the time don't fly. Yet, the story is a David and Goliath one, about a group of middle age man, playing hockey on the weekends, that because of a bad bet of their team's coach, must play against a tough bully team. In the sterotypes that we see (the straight looking gay lawyer, the realtor with the big mouth, etc.), you have a good idea of how middle class "Québécois" sees themselves. And that's the reason it became a hit and spawned a sequel. That is also, why for anyone intrested in hockey or in French speaking Canada, they should see this movie.

For starters this dvd isn't widescreen. It's full frame. The movie has both the original french language track and a lousy English dub, but no subtitles. So unless your French is very good, you are stuck with the vastly inferior English track. The movie itself is cool kinda a cross between Slap Shot, The Full Monty and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

This is a great flick if you can find the subtitled version. The dubbing is LIFELESS and horrible. I've seen "B" movies with Shannon Tweed that have better actors. However, if you're into the greatest game on earth, rent the VHS version with subtitles; it's worth it.

Whether you watch this film in French (Canadian) or in dubbed English, you still get the sense of one theme: camaraderie is universal.

Now, another theme, which is certainly spreading in the U.S., and highly popular in Canada, is that of hockey. The characters in this movie embrace the game, as it probably is their greatest focus in life. They all come from different lives and different backgrounds, but once a week they meet to play hockey as "Les Boys". Coached by the owner of the club they meet at, they have been playing recreationally for a while. However, when the coach gets in trouble with a loan shark, the boys' brace together for what they do not know is the game of their lives.

I found this film highly amusing, and, albeit there are a fair amount of hockey films, had just a little more to offer. Playing off of each man's ego, and their love of hockey, the characters develop. Thus we actually care for them. For American viewers, this is reminiscent of Slap Shot; only in my opinion this film had more of a point.

For those of you who have not seen this then I highly recommend it. Now this film is as appropriate for kids as Slap Shot (i.e., not very) but it is still good for the older viewer. Do not let the French language selection scare you away either, because like I said it has dub options, which work well trust me.

Overall, it is entertaining and something to get into for a brief time, and that is what good movies like these are all about.

The french version is better than the translated.

This is a real funny story about beer league.

If you have or play hockey in an adult league you

will see yourself in this serie... this one is the first of four movies.

I am sure Mystery, Alaska was inspired by this movie, that must have had in its turn "Slapshot" as its template, just to remain in the hockey theme (there is a little bit of the Mighty Duck in it too!). But Les Boys is also a movie on male cameradie, like many beautiful films of the past (watch if you can find it the Italian "Amici Miei!).

A group of eleven men meet every Monday night to play hockey in a minor French Canadian (Quebec) legue. Once their coach, the pub owner Stan looses $50.000 to the criminal Meo, they team up and give their best to win agains Meo's team to avoid having Stan's legs broken.

The fun of this movie lies in the characters private lives, the ladiesman, the salesman, the gay lawyer, the cynical doctor, the cocain addict guitarist, the newly wed and others. All along the story is told with humor and compassion.

Louis Saia has made this story into a saga and I'm looking foreward to seeing Les Boys II.

Un film à voir absolument pour tous les Québécois qui sont aux USA et qui n'en n'ont pas entendu parler. Un succès monstre;le premier de 4!