I teach a class on substance treatment and recovery to parolees who are struggling with addiction.  One of the movies I show in class is The Boost which makes an impact to everyone, even those that don’t think they have a problem with drugs or alcohol.

James Woods portrays Lenny Brown, a fast talking salesman who is waiting for his big break.  When that break comes in Los Angeles, he’s suddenly on the fast lane to becoming wealthy.  Sean Young plays his gorgeous wife, Linda, who is supportive and tries to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground.  They move from New York City to Los Angeles where life seems to be constantly fast paced.  Lenny is spending money as fast as he’s making it – buying extravagant things like an airplane – until the company is suddenly in the middle of a scandal and the money comes to a screeching halt.

Lenny is talked into trying cocaine to just get a “boost” to help him get back on the right track.  Thus begins his nightmare of addiction.  He ultimately talks Linda into using cocaine with him and life suddenly has a different focus.  Instead of getting money for the good things in life, Lenny needs money to feed his addiction.  He begins to lose everything that was important to him – his home, his car, his self respect. 

Although The Boost seems to be over-the-top at times, the message is important.  We see Lenny’s struggles to come to terms with his addiction.  We see he and Linda move to a small coastal town to run away from the drug infested areas that they know so well in Los Angeles, only to have the drugs find them there.  (Addiction has no boundaries – geographical or otherwise).  We see Lenny become so involved with drugs that nothing else matters.  His wife was the love of his life and the relationship turns violent as her co-dependency becomes evident.  It’s just all bad…

James Woods is amazing in his portrayal as Lenny Brown.  He goes from a driven salesman to a driven addict losing his focus on his life goals.  Sean Young is outstanding in her depiction of Linda Brown and the audience feels her frustration and understands that the co-dependency is detrimental to her well-being.  The support cast is also excellent to the point of me actually hating Kelle Kerr’s character for being so mean spirited and spiteful.  Director Harold Becker did an incredible job bringing out the wide range of emotions associated with drug addiction.  He definitely showed that addiction not only affects the addict but anyone who cares about that person.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone who dabbles with drugs, for anyone who thinks drugs should be legalized and aren’t so bad, for anyone who thinks their drug use is under control.  It’s a harsh reality of what could happen.

Movie is 95 minutes long.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older