Boys on the Side is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross (in his final film as a director). It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip. The screenplay was written by Don Roos.
Three unique women embark on a cross-country road trip: Jane (Whoopi Goldberg), a lesbian lounge singer in search of a new life after breaking up with her girlfriend and getting fired; Holly (Drew Barrymore), a pregnant girl who just wants to escape her brutal boyfriend; and Robin (Mary-Louise Parker), an uptight real estate agent who has her own secrets (namely being infected with HIV).
Robin puts an ad in the newspaper that she is looking for a traveling companion to accompany her on a cross country trip to California. Jane answers the ad and agrees to join Robin after her car gets towed during their meeting. Jane and Robin leave New York City and travel through Pittsburgh to take Jane’s friend Holly to lunch. They stumble across a knock out-fight between Holly and her abusive boyfriend, Nick, over some missing drugs.
They leave him there bound to a chair with tape after Holly hits him in the head with a bat to stop him from attacking Jane. Later, he frees himself from the chair, stumbles across the floor, falls and hits his head on the bat and dies. The three unlikely travelers then form a special friendship on their journey which sees them through ultimately tragic times.
After discovering that Nick is dead and that Holly is pregnant, the three women decide to continue across country and end up in Tucson, Arizona when Robin has to be hospitalized. They decide to stay in Tucson, hoping to start a new life. However, Jane has a secret crush on Robin, Holly falls in love with and eventually confesses to a local police officer named Abe Lincoln (Matthew McConaughey), and Robin finds the courage to face her impending death.
Shortly after Jane and Robin have a falling out over Jane telling a friendly bartender (James Remar) who was interested in Robin that she has HIV, Holly is arrested by Abe. She is taken back to Pittsburgh to face the consequences of her actions. The return to Pittsburgh involves Robin and Jane making peace with each other on the courthouse’s “Bridge of Sighs” while the Pittsburgh Police process Holly.
A few months pass, in Tucson, Holly is free and with Abe and her daughter, which is celebration to all family and friends. Robin is now farther along with AIDS and is not expected to live much longer. The party asks Robin to sing the Roy Orbison song “You Got It” as she performed that song in a Star Search contest; though weak, she manages to sing with Jane backing her singing. In the final scene, Robin has died from AIDS as her wheelchair is now empty, Holly and Abe plan to stay in Arizona and become a family, while Jane hits the road to finally seek a life of her own.
The film’s soundtrack album is made up entirely of contributions from female pop/rock artists, including lesbian icons Melissa Etheridge (“I Take You With Me”), Joan Armatrading (“Willow”) and the Indigo Girls (“Power of Two”). Previous hit singles by Annie Lennox (“Why”) and The Cranberries (“Dreams”) are also included, as are new recordings by Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks and The Pretenders among others. The hit single from the movie soundtrack was Bonnie Raitt’s cover of the Roy Orbison hit “You Got It”, which peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. (by wikipedia)
Boys on the Side is a collection of mainstream ’90s rock dominated by female artists, which is appropriate for the feminist nature of the film. Not all of the music is first-rate, but much of it is, particularly Bonnie Raitt’s cover of Roy Orbison’s “You Got It.” Fans of the film will find much to enjoy here, but the record doesn’t quite hold together as an individual entity. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)
This is just such an amazingly wonderful collection of beautiful songs, from the movie of the same title. This CD is like a warm, happy, occasionally sad, emotional journey through the eyes & hearts of some really talented women! I’m going to stockpile some more copies of this CD, as I never want to be without it! (by Mary Jo Ashleyon)
This has always been one of my favorite CDs, given the assortment of some of the best tracks of a series of female artists. Recently on a trip out west I inadvertently left the CD playing when my daughter (4th grade) got in the car–it is now her favorite album as well, and I don’t have to listen to the teeny bop music she usually pleads for–what a relief!!
I had never heard many of these artists before, given that I stopped hearing new artists about when my daughter was born and Raffi took over our lives, and it was such a delight to discover so much talent–it really sent me out to get acquainted with more of their music on their own individual albums. (by an Amazon customer)
This is a strong album for strong women … And I love strong women …
Tracklist:
01. Bonnie Raitt: You Got It (Lynne/Orbison/Petty) 3.25
02. Melissa Etheridge: I Take You With Me (Etheridge) 4.48
03. Sheryl Crow: Keep On Growing (Clapton/Whitlock) 5.24
04. Indigo Girls: Power Of Two (Saliers) 5.22
05. Stevie Nicks: Somebody Stand By Me (Crow/Wolfe) 5.05
06. The Pretenders: Everyday Is Like Sunday (Morrissey/Street) 3.41
07. The Cranberries; Dreams (Hogan/O’Riordan) 4.30
08. Annie Lennox: Why (Lennox) 4.53
09. Sarah McLachlan: Ol’ 55 (Waits) 4.11
10. Joan Armatrading: Willow (Armatrading) 4.01
11. Jonell Mosser: Crossroads (Johnson) 2.49
12. Whoopi Goldberg: You Got It (Lynne/Orbison/Petty) 3.08
13. Bonnie Raitt: You Got It (Lynne/Orbison/Petty) 3.25
Promotion pic
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