THE BOOST
US, 1988, 95 minutes, Colour.
James Woods, Sean Young, John Kapelos, Steven Hill, John Rothman, Amanda Blake, Grace Zabriskie.
Directed by Harold Becker.
The Boost is a film about drugs. As Days of Wine and Roses showed a married couple going downhill with alcoholism, The Boost shows a married couple and their dependence on cocaine and their moral and physical collapse.
James Woods, as always, plays an intense character, a whiz real estate agent who is caught up in tax shelter legislation, losing his money, relying on cocaine. His wife, played by Sean Young, also becomes dependent.
The film is about big business in the 1980s, appearing in the year after Wall Street. Steven Hill portrays a real estate agent boss who takes Woods under his wing and promotes him to head of operations on the west coast. John Kapelos portrays a friend who introduces Woods to the drugs. John Rothman portrays a newspaperman to whom Woods confides his life, hoping that an article will be written which is an urging for people to avoid drugs.
The film was directed by Harold Becker, a director of a number of police thrillers including The Onion Field, Black Marble, City Hall.
1. The title of the film, the boost from drugs? The yuppie couple and their lifestyle, life in the fast lane, the decline and fall?
2. The contrast between the New York settings and the Los Angeles settings? The affluence of California? The wheeler-dealing world? The musical score?
3. How successful was the film as a moral fable? Its hard presentation of its central characters? Depressing? A story of drug dependence, paralleling the films about alcohol dependence? The collapse of characters, marriages?
4. Lenny Brown, his eagerness? James Woods’ intense screen presence and style? His work, real estate, his spiels and clients? His friendship with Max? Max’s trust of him? The discussions, the lunch? At home, his relationship with Linda? His wanting to be liked?
5. Lenny in himself, his drive, ambitions? His success in making money? The job opportunities, the west coast? The various financial schemes? His resume? Edgy? The American male?
6. Linda, her love for her husband, relating to him? At home, meals, talking things over? Her needs? Going to Los Angeles? Her regrets, the dance? Seeing Lenny’s collapse?
7. Lenny in California, the meetings, the car, the lavish house, the pool? Max and his concern and care? The various deals, clients, his techniques? The warning not to oversell? The money coming in, his lifestyle and spending? Max and his concern, treating him like a son, concerned about his career? Linda not working?
8. The parties, the friendship with Joel, Joel as a character, the cocaine, the women? Linda and her reaction? The lifestyle and wealth, able to afford cocaine?
9. The changing of the law, the financial difficulties, the collapse? The implications? Lenny and his pretences, the party? The need for the cocaine boost to keep him going, its effect? The cocaine and Linda, sharing? Lenny and his stealing, hurting Max?
10. Down and out, the illness, wanting help, not able to accept it, the lack of money, fresh ideas, dependence on friends?
11. The move, surfboards? Linda’s pregnancy, Lenny’s violence, trying to cope? The friends and the women? Linda away, the dog? Further use of cocaine, collapse? Linda’s miscarriage? The tensions in the relationship?
12. The scheme, the set-up, the phone call, the visitors, clashes, losing the money?
13. The separation, hospital, the doctor? Lenny’s anger, conspiracy feelings?
14. Lenny alone, his loss of his life, his work, his personality, his wife? What future?
15. The accuracy of the portrait of the characters, people getting caught up in business, in cocaine, needing the boost? The message for the audience, the moralising point?
