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The Boost

Play trailer Poster for The Boost R Released Dec 23, 1989 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Struggling salesman Lenny Brown (James Woods) gets his big break when real estate speculator Max Sherman (Steven Hill) offers him a prime sales position at his Los Angeles firm. The economic boom of the mid-1980s soon has Lenny and his wife, Linda (Sean Young), living in the fast lane, but when a sudden tax-law change causes the real estate bubble to burst, Lenny finds himself unemployed and in debt. At this low point, the couple's once-casual cocaine habit begins to spiral out of control.
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The Boost

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Nigel Andrews Financial Times Whenever he Is on screen Woods turns a B-movie melodrama about human waste Into a humming psycho-drama. Jun 23, 2020 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times As Lenny and Linda head for the bottom, the movie turns into one of the most convincing and horrifying portraits of drug addiction I've ever seen. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com The Boost is supposed to play like a horror story for folks who think they can mainline their way to economic bliss, but can't quite convey the tragedy of good people unable to make responsible choices despite knowing better all the while. Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 8, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The simplistic message film tries to be cool by having its hipster leads telling us drugs are not good for you. Rated: C+ Apr 26, 2019 Full Review Richard Freedman Newhouse News Service How such creditable actors as Woods and Young got trapped in this idiotic farrago is a mystery. Jan 5, 2018 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 4/5 Aug 1, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (42) audience reviews
Jack O Right now I've been watching a film that stars James Woods and Sean Young called The Boost. Never heard of it? Well, it's about the two couple Lenny and Linda played by James Woods and Sean Young. Lenny Brown is a man who is in love with Linda Brown. They move to California and when Lenny gets rich and then he lost a job cause he was poor. Now he's obsessed with cocaine to keep himself on the edge. The violence and Lenny possessed in drugs doesn't last long until after an hour. This is fast paced for the most part. This is the fast paced drama film with an fast paced ending. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/19/23 Full Review Audience Member There’s a potentially good movie hiding somewhere within this material, however it’s simple depiction of a cautionary tale lets it down. Ultimately it comes off as a laughable, almost Reefer Madness like at times, anti-drug film. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/07/21 Full Review hardy c Supposedly this movie is like a Nancy Reagan "Just Say No" cautionary tale about the evils of drugs. But it's actually about two losers who flirt with success but pull back from the precipice of happiness in order to find a reasonable substitute for that emotion with Bolivian snow. I rate the subsequent scandal over Young allegedly stalking Woods higher. In fact, why didn't anyone make a movie about that? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review ashley h The Boost is a disappointing film. It is about Lenny Brown who moves to California to find his fortune in tax shelter investments. James Woods and Sean Young give terrible performances. The screenplay is badly written. Harold Becker did a horrible job directing this movie. I was not impressed with this motion picture. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Struggling salesman becomes huge success in real estate when he moves to California before being downed by a drug habit that spirals out of control. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Based on a novel by Ben Stein, yes, THAT Ben Stein of Ferris Bueller fame. The book was apparently about Quaaludes addiction and abuse, but it's cocaine in the film. I have no idea how the book read, but the film is utterly ridiculous. It's supposed to be a hard hitting downward spiral into drugs by an otherwise on-the-rise yuppie couple, played by James Woods and Sean Young when they were still a real-life couple, but the film is pretty dumb and unintentionally hilarious at times. James Woods is a great actor, but Sean Young is just terrible. Like Arnold, the best acting she ever did was when she played a robot. Stick with "Requiem for a Dream" if you want a hard hitting film about addiction, but if you're in the mood for some serious camp, this may be a good choice. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Boost

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Cast & Crew

The Boost

The Boost: Official Clip - Killing the Old Fireball The Boost: Official Clip - Killing the Old Fireball 1:47 The Boost: Official Clip - Junkie The Boost: Official Clip - Junkie 4:03 The Boost: Official Clip - Till I Fall Off the Earth The Boost: Official Clip - Till I Fall Off the Earth 1:58 The Boost: Official Clip - The First Taste The Boost: Official Clip - The First Taste 1:34 The Boost: Official Clip - Hollywood Party The Boost: Official Clip - Hollywood Party 2:12 The Boost: Official Clip - Bad Reaction The Boost: Official Clip - Bad Reaction 2:13 The Boost: Official Clip - Relapse The Boost: Official Clip - Relapse 1:59 The Boost: Official Clip - Leap Through Life The Boost: Official Clip - Leap Through Life 2:03 The Boost: Official Clip - Lenny Ruins the Deal The Boost: Official Clip - Lenny Ruins the Deal 2:02 The Boost: Official Clip - Will It Sell? Will It Soar? The Boost: Official Clip - Will It Sell? Will It Soar? 2:02 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Struggling salesman Lenny Brown (James Woods) gets his big break when real estate speculator Max Sherman (Steven Hill) offers him a prime sales position at his Los Angeles firm. The economic boom of the mid-1980s soon has Lenny and his wife, Linda (Sean Young), living in the fast lane, but when a sudden tax-law change causes the real estate bubble to burst, Lenny finds himself unemployed and in debt. At this low point, the couple's once-casual cocaine habit begins to spiral out of control.
Director
Harold Becker
Producer
Daniel H. Blatt
Screenwriter
Darryl Ponicsan
Distributor
Hemdale Film Distribution
Production Co
Hemdale
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 23, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$766.8K
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround
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