Too much of everything

Simply A Masterpiece

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Most Americans don't like this film because of a general stick up their asses...as you can tell by some of the reviewers here...and probably from the bible belt....but this movie so freakish of an idea, like human centipede (without the gross factor) you just gotta just see it.Definitely a cult classic that the open minded progressive, no-hang up Europeans and Australian can appreciate. Some things you just gotta see. This is one of them. Jealousy and beauty and control. Freakishly done.No spoilers here.I hate text limitations...whether there is a minimum or maximum.

...but at least it was better than Dune.So in that one regard, and that one regard alone, the daughter of David Lynch has surpassed her father's work.The worst performance of Bill Paxton's career.Nobody in this film elicits any sympathy or even interest...other than a glancing "that guy is okay" for Art Garfunkel.I guess Kurtwood Smith did okay as well, given the absurdity of his lines and the situation his character was placed in - and the ridiculous reaction that was written for him.This thing really is a turd. Not even interesting for the sex or the horror aspect.

Boxing Helena needs a major reworking. When it wants to, the film can be quite disturbing, I will gladly admit that. Unfortunately I also found myself laughing in places where I don't think I am supposed to. This motion picture is over serious, and completely lost. It may have some use as a pretentious psychology lesson in the Oedipal complex, but it is otherwise dull and useless, not to mention vulgar.Chief Surgeon Dr. Nick Cavanagh, is obsessed with his neighbour Helena, who he had a one night stand with once upon a time. With the recent death of his mother (whom he was equally in love with) Nick is lonely and scared. He needs someone to turn to, or love. He kidnaps Helana, amputates her limbs, and keeps her in his house as almost a pet doll. How far will this go? how long can he hide?Most of the movie takes place in the glamorous mansion which Cavanagh has inherited from his family. It is a charming place, all dressed up, and full of plush. One of the strongest and most ironic images in the movie, is seeing an armless legless girl dressed up like a porcelain doll, in a high chair, and watching the good doctor suck up to her like she is his own kin. The movie actually doesn't make it clear as to whether the Dr. Cavanagh thinks of Helena as his kin or his lover. the more emotional it tries to be, the less effective Boxing Helena becomes. The sheer sloppiness of the acting, writing and direction, are constantly reminding the viewer that this is a movie. Some of the scorning is nice, but for that, just get the soundtrack.Julian Sands' performance is a huge burden on the movie. He is over-romantic and completely unconvincing. Sands delivers his lines as if he is in Romeo and Juliet. In the last two minutes, Boxing Helena recalls David Lynch epically, as it turns into a surrealist feature, and what is more annoying is that the film has literally no ending. The whole thing just becomes an exercise in stupidity. It has nowhere to go, and subsequently, has nowhere to take the audience. Boxing Helena is best left forgotten

When I saw Boxing Helena, I was young but pretty jaded to motion pictures. I was in a for the shock and ride of my life. Now that I read it was directed by David Lynch's daughter, it doesn't surprise me. I wont belabor the plot or details of the movie, but I will say that as a young man who was pursuing and dating lots of women, this movie really made me think about the vulnerability of even super attractive women, and about what happens when men put no constraints on their desire to chase or own a woman. The fact that it delivered that message in a totally original and effective fashion makes it a top-shelf film in my mind.I will say that I told a few women I thought it was a great film and they were disgusted by it. Too many people took this film far too literally, even though it wasn't literal even within the plot. I actually think it assaults our construction of goddesses in the media at such a root foundation that it's actually a very insurgent, anti-establishment film. It really attacks a materialism associated with the pursuit and existence of beautiful people.It's definitely a thinker's picture. It's a perfect use of film, portraying something you don't want to see in real life to illustrate a point. It's also brilliantly shot and acted. Make up you own mind. There's no other film like it.