The Boys Next Door

I have heard about THE BOYS NEXT DOOR for some years because of the subject and also because a friend of mine that loves TV shows saw it for an actor that guest starred on CHUCK with Zachary Levi. Last February I finally saw it and I ended up liking it much more than I expected.

Jack Palmer (Tony Goldwyn) is a social worker that cares for four young disabled men: Norman (Nathan Lane) who is obsessed with rodents, Lucien (Courtney B. Vance) who is obsessed with crackerjacks and Spiderman, Arnold (Michael Jeter) who loves to buy things in supermarkets and shops but not pay, and Barry Klemper who is scorned by his father (Richard Jenkins) because he can't play golf, and makes them live in a house. During most of the movie he has to deal with their obsessions and the troubles they cause, but never makes them notice their mistakes. All this goes smoothly until the end when Jack has to go to Germany for a job offer.

The plot might look simple but the story is so well acted by all the cast members involved and the situations so entertaining that it makes this TV movie worth seeing just for that. And since it's available on Youtube, try it if you stumble upon it.

Believe it or not, I am forced to give a very low review of this movie. Even though my user name is derived from it. (At least from this script.) In 1999 I had the honor of playing Norman Bulanski in a stage presentation of "Boys Next Door" and the stage play is considerably better than this movie. While the movie seems to focus on Jack and Barry, the play gave equal time to all the boys. Each was given a particular hurdle he had to overcome. Norman Bulanski, an overweight, and simple guy who loved doughnuts, his keys and his girlfriend, had his date with sweet, simple minded (and no "skinny Minnie") Sheila. Barry Klemper, a brilliant schizophrenic who wound up in the same group home with severely developmentally disabled men through a hiccup in the system, had to endure a visit from his insensitive and cruel father. Lucien P. whatever the movie called him, (It was Smith in the play) had to go before the "State Sneck" (Senate) who had deemed him mentally competent and was threatening to completely cut his funding... even though he still had trouble reciting the first five letters of the alphabet. And Arnold... had to deal with everything. The play showed a growing frustration in Jack as he neared the end of this career, that I think showed somewhat in this movie, but I felt Norman and Lucien's scenes were underdeveloped and neglected. The movie added a scene where Arnold takes his groceries back and these scenes are hilarious and masterly done by Jeters. I do wish the play had them. Also I felt Lucien was quite well done. I don't think Nathan Lane was given the opportunity to fully develop Norman. I think he could have done much better if he had had more time to understand Norman's mind. On the whole, I suppose, it was very well done... if you aren't expecting the depth of the play. It is good entertainment and you wind up caring about these characters... but if you can... see the play too.

I enjoyed this film from many aspects. The acting is first rate, and it is clearly well-researched and presented in a realistic, non-sentimental fashion. Having grown up around the mentally ill and the mentally challenged, I can decipher caricature from character rather quickly. I was absolutely blown away by Courtney B. Vance's depiction of Lucien. Mr. Vance is completely absorbed in this role. His carriage, walk, talk, mannerisms, everything is perfect. I have known people like Lucien. When Tony Goldwyn's character, Jack, imagines a "normal" Lucien, we can see the absolutely perfect acting job of Courtney B. Vance.

The other actors are very good, but Courtney B. Vance is the stand out. Nathan Lane as Norman reminds me very much of mentally challenged people I have known who are forever introducing themselves. Robert Sean Leonard plays a schizophrenic convincingly. And Tony Goldwyn is emotional and not too sentimental as Jack, the hard-working, good-hearted, but all too human caretaker. It is a very good film.

As the sister of two special needs guys and a nurse of 25 years I highly recommend this movie! The actors do a phenomenal job of portraying high functioning people with varying special needs. The social worker character, Jack, shows the true love, care, and hope that loved ones and caregivers have for our special needs individuals while also demonstrating the reality of life. This movie is a wonderful glimpse into the world of those with high functioning special needs. <3

I didn't see the play, I have watched the movie purely for the sake of Robert Sean Leonard - but it was definitely worth it.

I'm a disabled person, I've met a lot of disabled people in my life, and quite frankly, this movie is a very realistic portrayal of how it looks.

The actors have done a magnificent job at portraying disability, the behaviours of the characters aren't something unfamiliar for me to see.

While I already knew that RSL will definitely portray his role well, I think he's a good actor, he did even better than I initially expected. His body language and expressions are just on spot, the way he shows nervousness and anxiety as his character is realistic and simply relatable, it looks genuine.

With other main actors, I was definitely pleasantly surprised. They did a perfect job at their roles and I have no critique for that. I don't recall them that much, so I don't have anything more to say though.

I'm glad that the movie also included actors who are in fact disabled, I have seen a ridiculous amount of movies that talk about disability, but oddly enough reject the disabled actors.

All in all - worth the watch, it's silly and fun, but also handles the more difficult topics with care and detail. Love it.