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Boys

  • 1996
  • PG-13
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
4.9/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Winona Ryder in Boys (1996)
Patty is thrown off her horse and knocked out. Students from a boys' boarding school find her and smuggle her to John's room at the school as cops are looking for her at home.
Play trailer1:51
1 Video
17 Photos
DramaMysteryRomance

25 y.o. Patty is thrown off her horse and knocked out. Students from a boys' boarding school find her and smuggle her to John's room at the school as cops are looking for her at home.25 y.o. Patty is thrown off her horse and knocked out. Students from a boys' boarding school find her and smuggle her to John's room at the school as cops are looking for her at home.25 y.o. Patty is thrown off her horse and knocked out. Students from a boys' boarding school find her and smuggle her to John's room at the school as cops are looking for her at home.

  • Director
    • Stacy Cochran
  • Writers
    • Stacy Cochran
    • James Salter
  • Stars
    • Winona Ryder
    • Lukas Haas
    • John C. Reilly
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.9/10
    3.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stacy Cochran
    • Writers
      • Stacy Cochran
      • James Salter
    • Stars
      • Winona Ryder
      • Lukas Haas
      • John C. Reilly
    • 34User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    Trailer

    Photos17

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    Top cast33

    Edit
    Winona Ryder
    Winona Ryder
    • Patty Vare
    Lukas Haas
    Lukas Haas
    • John Baker Jr
    John C. Reilly
    John C. Reilly
    • Officer Kellogg Curry
    James Le Gros
    James Le Gros
    • Fenton Ray
    • (as James LeGros)
    Skeet Ulrich
    Skeet Ulrich
    • Bud Valentine
    Matt Malloy
    Matt Malloy
    • Bartender
    Spencer Vrooman
    • John Murphy
    Charlie Hofheimer
    Charlie Hofheimer
    • John Cooke
    Bill Sage
    Bill Sage
    • Officer Bill Martone
    Marty McDonough
    Marty McDonough
    • Teacher
    Wiley Wiggins
    Wiley Wiggins
    • John Phillips
    Vivienne Shub
    • Frances
    Russell Young
    • John Van Slieder
    Christopher Pettiet
    Christopher Pettiet
    • Jon Heinz
    Catherine Keener
    Catherine Keener
    • Jilly
    Maddie Corman
    Maddie Corman
    • Liz Curry
    Andy Davis
    • Jonathan Marco
    Jessica Harper
    Jessica Harper
    • Mrs. John Baker
    • Director
      • Stacy Cochran
    • Writers
      • Stacy Cochran
      • James Salter
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews34

    4.93.9K
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    Featured reviews

    outsider-2

    Visual cure for insomnia

    It took a lot of gnashing and grinding of teeth for me to finish this mediocre film. The only thing that kept me going on was the fact that winona ryder was in it. I kept telling myself, "she wouldn't do a movie THIS bad..it probably gets better towards the end..". They say you should always trust your first instincts. In this case, they were dead on the mark. Unless you are totally obsessed with winona ryder and need to see every single one of her movies, AVOID.
    jENNA007

    The cover is mesmirizing alone

    Ok, so, yeah, it was weird & a tad boring at times, but i thought that all in all, it was pretty enjoyable for a boring Saturday afternoon, because after i started to watch it for 2 minutes, I discovered that I was so curious to see what was going to happen next that i was mesmirized. The guys in it are kinda good-looking and pretty funny, if you're willing. And I have to say, I love the picture of Winona Ryder on the movie cover, she has a certain look to her that's just mysterious and attractive. I heard that the script of this movie changed and after Winona heard about that she didn't like it and wanted to refuse to be in it, so she must've been very un-willing to this movie during filming.. you can kind of tell if you pay close attention too. I wouldn't recommend renting it or buying it, cuz it comes on tv all the time, and if your bored enough I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
    Xapora

    Disappointing for Winona fans. =(

    Let me begin by saying, I love Winona. I think she's great. This movie is just terrible though. It's boring, slow and forgettable. Her performance is really bad. She looks tired, bored, fed up - her heart just wasn't in this one. Compared to her *fantastic* efforts in Heathers, Mermaids, Reality Bites, Little Women et al, this is just tripe. The "romance" between her and Lukas Haas is unbelievable and awkward and there's zero chemistry, the scenes in the dormitory are boring, I just can't name any redeeming features except for the beautiful Maryland scenery. And there's a scene where there's all this Spanish being spoken and NO sub-titles. Ridiculous. I know some people enjoyed this movie and I respect that, but if you decided to see this thinking it'd be another Winona classic, forget it. Oh, and as for the "mystery" of "What's up with Patty?", well, by the time we find out, I really didn't care anymore. Sorry Winona, you CAN and HAVE done MUCH better than this. 1.5 stars (for the scenery). May be of interest to some to see Christopher Pettiet in one of his final roles before his untimely death.
    ivana-7

    better then the book

    I read a book (a short story) that this movie was based on and it was good but I think that the movie is better. That is probably cause I dont like to read.

    Winona Rider and Lukas Haas make the story believable. Its a really good movie.
    BobLib

    Attractive leads, but where's the beef?

    "Boys" is proof positive that two young, attractive leads, Wynona Ryder and Lukas Haas, can't always compensate for a complex, uninvolving plot. Make no mistake, Ryder and Haas are both as good as they can be, given the material, and their love scenes, particularly at the carnival, do generate a goodly ammount of heat. But, on the whole, the story is far too complex and uninvolving. By the time the central mystery is unraveled, you find yourself asking what all the fuss was about. In short, a dynamic team wasted on a trite picture.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
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    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After multiple cuts and dubbing out language, the film went from a R rating to PG-13. Winona Ryder was very disappointed in the final cut of the film and did not promote it when released. She also has issues with the last minute title change from "The Girl You Want" to "Boys".
    • Goofs
      Before Baker falls asleep away from the fair, the trees closest to him have all of their leaves. In the morning, both are almost bare.
    • Quotes

      John Baker Jr: I knew this will happen...

      Patty: what will happen?

      John Baker Jr: that i get turn out

      Patty: you get turn out the school?

      John Baker Jr: not yet... but I look at you and I knew that I would be...

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Twister/Captives/Boys/Dead Man/Cold Comfort Farm (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      She's Not There
      Written by Rod Argent

      Performed by The Cruel Sea

      Courtesy of Polydor Records Australia -

      Red Eye Records/A&M Records, Inc.

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Boys?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 10, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • The Girl You Want
    • Filming locations
      • St. John's College - 60 College Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland, USA(exteriors: classrooms, coffee shop)
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Interscope Communications
      • Polygram Filmed Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $516,349
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $270,107
      • May 12, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $516,349
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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