by Frank Calvillo
Watching the sadly-neglected late-’80s drama The Boost, I became distracted by the film’s pacing and seeing how important plot points and moments in character development happened so rapidly, some of them in the blink of an eye. Midway through I suddenly thought to myself: how else would you illustrate a movie about addiction? The mental state of someone high on coke, power, and love cannot help but experience life in a series of quick snapshots. To this extent, the makers of The Boost have offered up a truly fascinating film which illustrates how quickly success, indulgence, and love can turn on a person and transform them into something else entirely.
Based on a novel by Ben Stein (yes, THAT Ben Stein), The Boost centers on happily married New York couple Lenny (James Woods) and Linda (Sean Young). When Lenny’s decisions to embark on a career in tax shelter investments jump starts a move to Los Angeles, Linda readily agrees to the change. Things go great at first with Lenny pulling in huge figures and becoming the star of his firm. However, changing tax laws, the loss of his job, and a growing dependency on cocaine signify the start of Lenny’s mental and emotional downfall, while Linda feels she has no other choice but to stay by his side no matter what the consequences.
The Boost is very much a film of the decade, when it was extremely fashionable to be involved in something as freely available as cocaine. Films such as Less Than Zero and Bright Lights, Big City join The Boost in depicting not just how trendy a drug cocaine was, but how in a somewhat subversive way the substance actually fueled the “me” mentality and the endless drive for success that was present in the ’80s. What’s interesting in this film is that Lenny never fully believes in his success, which is what’s causing him to make more, spend more, and use more. “Selling’s more important to me than money. Because every time I sell, it means somebody believes in me,” he sadly declares. It’s only when the other shoe drops that he realizes what he had and what he’s on his way to losing.
More than just a film about dependency on drugs, the film also skillfully deals with the addiction to another human being in stark and upfront ways. The scene of Linda doing cocaine while pregnant is shocking due to how much she is trying to prove how she belongs in Lenny’s world. The scene is made all the more horrifying due to the way Young plays it with wild, reckless abandon. It shows how much she’s willing to damage herself to remain in his world. As she so tellingly puts it to Lenny, “I’ve always needed you more than you needed me.” I can’t think of too many other films which so successfully show that addiction and obsession are monsters that can take many forms. The whole movie makes for an extremely harrowing experience overall simply because it’s so many people’s story.
Woods is maniacal and magnetic in one of the most powerful roles of his career. His final scene, in which he delivers a deluded monologue into the camera, is the perfect end to a stunning performance chock full of so much gusto and passion. Woods’ work provides a nice contrast to that of his scene partner’s, who as his devoted wife gives an appropriately understated performance. There’s a serenity and loveliness to Young’s work here that her past roles haven’t always afforded her.
The dramatic points of The Boost might feel a little too on the nose for some people, sometimes bordering on cartoonish. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have minded some more intimate, extended scenes between Lenny and Linda. It certainly would have given the movie even more depth than it already has. However a film with this subject matter probably should be presented this way, emphasizing the brute force that comes with addiction. Broad strokes aside, the power behind The Boost’s message is immeasurable, and its striking ideology hits home thanks to the way it shows the different sides of addiction and it’s power to destroy what matters most.
The Boost is now available on Blu Ray from Olive Films.
