The Boys Next Door

Penelope Spheeris received kudos as director of "Wayne's World." I know that flick was funny as hell and made gobs of green, but "The Boys Next Door" is one of her best. This film combines her earlier efforts, particularly "The Decline of Western Civilization" and "Suburbia," into a nihilistic tale of two guys that ultimately realize that everything has its price. Sheen and Caulfield are very convincing as friends. When they first arrive in L.A. and stop at a gas station, Caulfield steals the show by brutally beating the gas station employee and justifying his actions to Sheen by basically saying: it happened, you can turn me in, you can come with me; let's see what the night turns up?

After seeing this gritty drama, then you wonder why there are nuts in the world. The movie is more ( in a weird kinda way), like a docudrama. It shows how 2 people can become alienated and rejected from society, to become heartless animals. Not to justify what they do, but if these two boys were somewhat loved, maybe they wouldn't be cold blooded killers. There's a scene where one of the teens father ignores him totally. That is shocking. But watching it will disturb you.

"The boys next door" is a superb movie. Bo and Ray, two mischevious best freinds, set out for a hightime weekend after graduation. They get spun out of control, and eventually, kill in cold blood for no apparent reason.

This movie will make you go away thinking. With a twist ending that is supremly unexpected, and altogether a deliberate ironic musing, this movie is a must see! It is one of those rare movie, where you go away saying, "Hey, that movie was actually really good!"

What I liked about this movie, is it is what I like to call a Sleeping Suprise. Its one of those movies that you casually pass by in the movie store, roll your thumb over in a tv guide, but when you finally do get around to watching this movie, you know you have witnessed something you should have seen earlier. I loved this movie, and you will too.

With great acting, a realistic story line, and superb script, "The boys next door" will leave you thinking about the minds of a serial killer, and the qualms of a deeply distubed mind.With inside information about real life serial killers, it will leave you looking over your shoulder for days to come! 8 out of 10...

The most shocking thing in this unsettling film is the way it accurately portrays the state of mind of the two "heroes"; murder seems to be just another inconsequential act of "escapism" for them, and the (sincere) grief that Sheen's character feels for some of their victims is brief and quickly lost amid the "thrill" of it all. The movie handles the violence in an uncompromising but not exploitive way, and it may not have all the answers, but at least it isn't afraid to touch the subject. (***)

The Boys Next Door is everything that 80's teen movies are NOT - and that is why I loved it. It's very realistic and brutally honest in its portrayal of teens who are outcast from their peers, and the effects it has on them. Not to mention both characters come from broken homes where it appears no one pays attention to them - another major problem of kids growing up in the US from the 70's to the present. Charlie Sheen does a great job, but Maxwell Caulfield steals the show.

This violence is extremely realistic and disturbing. But it has a point. The language is dead on too - this is the way kids talked in 1985.

This movie touches on a side of American society that most would choose to ignore, and that's why it is so powerful. Don't believe the negative reviews. This is an excellent movie.