Bad Boy Bubby

1993
12
1h 54m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

16K

YOUR RATING

Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape, and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into the modern and nihilistic life begins.

Play trailer1:52

2 Videos

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Dark Comedy Comedy Crime Drama

Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and n... Read allBubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.Bubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

16K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 9 wins & 3 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 1:52

Trailer

Clip 3:06

Bad Boy Bubby: A Night Out

Clip 3:06

Bad Boy Bubby: A Night Out

Photos84

+ 80

User reviews119

7.315.7K

Featured reviews

8daveisit

Some Of The Funniest Scenes I've Ever Seen.

Many people have found this movie overly confronting and ultimately very disturbing. If you give it a chance it gets you thinking and had me laughing uncontrollably. Some of Bubby's interactions with the outside world were hilarious. It's far from a comedy though, and will bring you through many emotions before the movies over.

Definitely worth watching. (7.5 out of 10)

10batcheeba

Love of life

I saw this film for the first time years ago, and it never left my mind. I have since seen it many times and for each time i see something new, or something i missed. It's an ongoing story, that changes side by side the changes i go through, while going through life. The film is dark, it's very in your face. Strong images and a deep sadness is present for the most parts of the plot. But it has another more interesting side, and that is the naive and curious mindset of Bubby. how he deals with life, and how i learns and how he imitates life, is a lesson learned for everyone. To me it's all about being able to adjust, to create, even when all you have is shattered. There is a way in every situation. It may not be the common way, it may not be normal, but what ever path you find, is right for you. The people in the film are real, there is no glamour. Yoy believe their story, even if you only get little sneak peaks of how things used to be. I would call it a feel good movie. Some people might say that is a very strange thing to say about Bad boy Bubby. But Bad boy Bubby is a very strange film as well. A 10 it is.

10mogwai-1

Crazy, insane, black, funny, terrifying, weird, SUPERB.

This film changed my life. No, really. It was a Friday night, and the parents were away. I was on my own in front of the television, and Channel 4 (UK + Irish viewers will know of it) was showing Bad Boy Bubby as part of some cult film season. Well, to cut a long story short, I was glued to the screen for the duration of the film (I drooled and stared at it during the commercial breaks) and when it was over, I realised that the dinner was entirely burnt. Not a particularly relevant story, you may think, but note that the television was IN THE KITCHEN, mere feet from the oven. That's how good this film is. It features possibly the greatest crazy monologue ever committed to celluloid (the pub/microphone scene), two of the most disturbing murders in any movie I've seen (and I've seen thousands), one of the most unsettling relationships I've seen, and an unbelievable central performance. This film is darker than dark, and stranger than Eraserhead. Just as Bubby is on his own throughout the film, so is the viewer. Alone, confused and disturbed beyond words.

And I've never thought of the Salvation Army in the same way since.

10/10

7TheAnimalMother

From His Head Down To His Shoe, He's Bad Boy Bubby Blue

This film is listed as a Comedy, Crime, Drama, and it definitely is. But know that this is definitely a comedy first and foremost, a comedy layered with a light dose of satirical social commentary.

This film came out before Forrest Gump, but it definitely is comparable in many ways. Try to imagine a darker Forrest Gump on hallucinogenic steroids and you basically have Bad Boy Bubby. Just like Gump, not much of the story is told in a very believable way. In the case of both films however, neither let that get in the way of telling a good story. And in the case of this film, there is definitely some hint of substance that accompanies the fantastical madness. When I first saw the film, I couldn't help thinking that this is just what Forrest Gump would have been like if a young David Lynch had written and directed it. Mainly because there is no film more comparable to Bad Boy Bubby than Lynch's intense social commentary masterpiece, Eraserhead. This film basically is a light Eraserhead, but with a darker Forrest Gump type character as the lead. Both films stories and commentary are delivered in a similar manner. Though it would also be fair to say that Eraserhead is definitely far more complex in it's detailed metaphors and far deeper in it's overall vision and social commentary.

All that said, this film is a well under the radar standout in its own right. It has a little something to say, and it also delivers a lot of laughs.

7/10.

10MrzD

Moving

I've seen this film three times and i bought the tape 10 years ago. I decided to see the film again today. Yes the film is very dark , extremely disturbing and unsettling. it has been called a black comedy or darkly humorous etc. All the plethora of adjectives are in the same vein which makes me feel that most people don't really "get " this film. It has also been described as a story with a corny and predictable ending which , for me , is the complete opposite. I have rarely seen a film of such rare beauty and ingenuity. By the end of it , i was moved to tears. I don't want to describe scenes , cinematography or performances. If this is the only review you read , i would strongly urge everyone above the age of consent to see this extremely powerful and inspiring film. Prepare yourself for scenes of cruelty , humiliation , sexual abuse and psychological horror...there are some truly disturbing scenes. But take them for what they are without judgement, see how they complement the story and Bubby's evolution and enjoy the ride. If you enjoyed Forrest Gump ( or more to the point , Tom Hanks), Then this is the adult version. It doesn't assault your heart strings the way Hollywood tries to do. A much underrated and for me a very moving experience.

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Most of the sound was recorded by two binaural microphones hidden in actor Nicholas Hope's ears.

Quotes
The Scientist: [plays organ music in church]
Bubby: Jesus can see everything I do... and he's going to beat me brainless!
The Scientist: Come down.
[Scene change; they are in a factory]
The Scientist: You see, no one's going to help you Bubby, because there isn't anybody out there to do it. No one. We're all just complicated arrangements of atoms and subatomic particles - we don't live. But our atoms do move about in such a way as to give us identity and consciousness. We don't die; our atoms just rearrange themselves. There is no God. There can be no God; it's ridiculous to think in terms of a superior being. An inferior being, maybe, because we, we who don't even exist, we arrange our lives with more order and harmony than God ever arranged the earth. We measure; we plot; we create wonderful new things. We are the architects of our own existence. What a lunatic concept to bow down before a God who slaughters millions of innocent children, slowly and agonizingly starves them to death, beats them, tortures them, rejects them. What folly to even think that we should not insult such a God, damn him, think him out of existence. It is our duty to think God out of existence. It is our duty to insult him. Fuck you, God! Strike me down if you dare, you tyrant, you non-existent fraud! It is the duty of all human beings to think God out of existence. Then we have a future. Because then - and only then - do we take full responsibility for who we are. And that's what you must do, Bubby: think God out of existence; take responsibility for who you are.

Crazy credits
The closing credits play over a scene showing Bubby playing in a garden with his children.

Alternate versions
The 18-rated UK release of this film was cut by 3s for the cinema version and a further 20s for video. The 3s cut for the cinema version was to remove a scene of a tethered cat being pulled by a string (a scene which contravened the UK Animals Act). All the cuts were waived for the 2007 DVD release.

Connections
Featured in Century of Cinema: 100 ans de cinéma: 100 ans de cinéma australien - 40 000 ans de rêve (1996)

Soundtracks
Largo from Xerxes
Written by George Frideric Handel (as G. F. Handel)
Performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Jose Serebrier
licensed from KEM Enterprises Inc USA