Bogus

Doing for orphaned children what Ghost did for grieving lovers, Bogus is a sweet-natured fantasy that's sure to have some viewers reaching for a Kleenex. With The Sixth Sense still three years in his future, Haley Joel Osment plays 7-year-old Albert, whose happy life is disrupted when his mother (Nancy Travis) is killed in a traffic accident. Her will stipulates that Albert be placed in the custody of his mom's little-known half-sister, Harriet (Whoopi Goldberg), a New Jersey restaurant-supply owner who's anything but motherly. That's when Albert invents Bogus (Gerard Depardieu), an imaginary friend who springs to life from a coloring book drawing--clearly the product of Albert's need for love and companionship. It's easy to see why director Norman Jewison was drawn to the challenge of this delicate, charmingly cast fantasy/drama whimsically written by Alvin Sargent (Oscar®-winner for Ordinary People), and there are some lovely moments that capture a fleeting sense of wonder. But like the similar fantasy Three Wishes, the magic is lightweight and it doesn't always work. Your best bet is to just surrender to the sentiment, and don't be surprised if you shed a tear or two.

After reading the many comments and watching the movie several times, I think I realize why Albert's friend was French. The people he was closest to in his former life were the French magician and his wife/partner. Therefore it made sense that his imaginary friend was like them. I loved the movie and though Harriet seemed to change suddenly in some people's opinion, I think she was changing throughout the movie. The looks she gave and the thoughts that seemed to be going through her mind, were very evident of that fact. Gérard Depardieu was excellent in the part of Bogus, the evidence between him being so big and the boy so small. How many times have we as adults wished for someone big and strong to take us up and give us comfort? I loved the ending where he wandered away to help another child. Sometimes in my life, I wish for someone like him. He also has a lovely smile. Good movie for that time when you are wanting something different.

"Bogus" is a touching and heart warming example of Albert Einsteins famous quote: "Reality is our worst enemy and imagination is our best friend."

A seven year old boy Albert (Haley Joel Osment), has a very happy life,living in Las Vegas with his circus entertainer mother,Lorraine (Nancy Travis).

This almost perfect life is tragically torn away from Albert when Lorraine is killed in car crash. After squabbling over who Albert should stay with,Lorraine's colleagues find that in her will,Lorraine had stated that she wished for Albert to be put in the care of her foster sister Harriet Franklin (Whoopi Goldberg).

When Harriet learns of this, she is not to happy. She has always lived alone and doesn't like the idea of being suddenly responsible for this little boy. But Harriet realizes that it's what Lorraine wanted and through thick and thin, Lorraine was always there for her.

So Albert goes to live with Harriet in the less glamorous city of Newark, New Jersey.

But he has not come alone!!

With him,Albert has bought a friend. A gentle giant called Bogus (Gerard Depardieu) who has been his only friend since the death of his mother.

Bogus is out to bring Harriet and Albert together as a family and to remind Harriet that imagination brings happiness.

Whoopi, Gerard and Haley make a fantastic team and are perfectly cast in this beautiful movie! 10 out of 10!!

Gerald Depardieu at his most average is better than many other actors at their very best. Well this isn't necessarily true. However as an actor, Depardieu has attempted everything, not all of them good but what he always manages to convey on the screen is a presence that is strong and full of conviction, no matter what the circumstances, as a viewer this is hard to fault. In the movie Bogus we see one of these performances. What we should also mention is fine support from Whoopi Goldberg and a sublime Haley Joel Osment.

Bogus is an interesting, well acted and well crafted, fantasy piece, it is a story about the mind of a child and how this can cross over into a real/adult world.

This is a movie that could have easily missed it's intended mark with lesser actors, and a less experienced director. But through imagination, depth of characters and a special bond between the three actors, this movie succeeds.

Quite a good movie, describing the case of a traumatized child who makes up a "secret friend" to help him survive in an unfriendly world. Having his foster godmother Harriet Franklin start to see and hear Bogus, the invisible friend, is harder to accept...despite the fact that she too was once a small child with (presumably) a similar burden.

Placed next to all the cliff-hanger world-threatening scenarios of many blockbuster movies, the story of a small child's trying to come to grips with his mother's death may seem somewhat trivial. But unlike those other flicks, it has the redeeming feature of being true to life. Despite the make-believe title character, the story itself is very down-to-earth (with only the exception noted above).