Director – Bob Balaban (Tales from the Darkside)
Starring – Andrew Lowery (Night Court), Traci Lind (Fright Night Part 2), and Danny Zorn (Home Improvement)
Release Date – 1993
Rating – 4/5
Blu Release – 3/5
Tagline – “The comedy that proves true love never dies”
Movies have and always will be a love affair with me. Ever since a young age I have loved film. I would often visit the video store to browse titles, check out the premium channels when my Dad wasn’t being a cheap bastard and pay for them, and visit various stores and other outlets where I can buy some. Out of all the movies I saw during those years, only a handful of films stayed with me. Demon Wind, Night of the Living Dead, Idle Hands, Return of the Living Dead and My Boyfriend’s Back were films that I loved when I was a kid and continued to watch as an adult.
Not long ago I caught wind that Mill Creek Entertainment announced that they would be releasing My Boyfriend’s Back on blu. The film was such a huge part of my childhood and I had to see it. I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows Johnny (Lowery) who has been crushing on Missy (Lind) since the first grade. He finally plans on talking to her and asking her out to prom but can’t find the nerve. He comes up with a plan and enlists his pal Eddie (Zorn). They plan on staging a robbery while she works at the local convenient store. Sadly, the plan goes south when a real armed robber shows up and shoots Johnny. Johnny lays dying on the floor and asks Missy to prom. She agrees and he expires.
He awakes sometime later in a grave where he digs himself free. He runs into the caretaker who warns him that leaving the cemetery will result in dire consequences. He disregards everything the man says and rushes home to get ready to see Missy. As soon as he leaves he starts to decompose. He panics and visits an elderly woman who was once visited by her husband when he passed. She informs him that he has to eat people in order to stay around. His moral compass steers him away from this. He starts to fall apart while Missy and Eddie tries to keep him around just long enough so he can have his one dance with Missy at prom.**Spoiler Alert**
I love slashers and zombie horror flicks but everyone knows my favorite horror flick is the horror comedy. So many of my favorite horror flicks are horror comedies. Films like Shaun of the Dead. Bad Taste, Dead Alive, Evil Dead II, and so on are some major staples in my house. I love when a film takes horror elements; zombies, ghosts, cannibals, and puts them in a comedy. These fun little films always made the horror light-hearted and make a fun atmosphere for the viewer. My Boyfriend’s Back is the kind of horror flick that is fun for the whole family. Hell, I could turn this on and let my two year old check it out.
The acting in this one is good. They are nothing that would win awards but it is better than most of the horror flicks I have seen before. Andrew Lowery was perfectly cast as the Johnny. I have literally seen this film hundreds of times and I could not imagine anyone else playing this role but him. Also, Tracy Lind was one of my first crushes right behind Danielle Harris after seeing her in Halloween 4 and 5, as well as, Eerie Indiana.
The story for this one is brilliant. Sure, it’s nothing new but it still entertains. This little horror comedy mixed with romance is fun. It has some laughs, a lot of quirky characters, and actually a little gore. The humor is a little dry at times and aimed towards a younger audience but I think that is where most of the film’s charm comes from. It also reminds me a lot of the Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes that borrow from the urban legends and myths centered around 1950’s culture.
Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills. These kills are not that violent but they do have some blood and just a little, tiny bit of gore. The film uses just enough to get the point across and remind the audience that they are, in fact, watching a movie about a zombie. All the kills in the film are done so with humor which takes away some of the impact but they still fit the film. Overall, My Boyfriend’s Back is just a simple and fun comedy with horror elements and romance. It may not be a masterpiece but I have yet to meet someone who does not like it. The cast is good, the story is funny, and the kills are a ton of laughs. Check it out!
Special Features:
None
